


Like Real People Do

by more0rLessJess



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternative Universe - No Island, Anxiety, Canon Jewish Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Detective Oliver, Don't worry they still bend the rules, F/M, Female Friendship, Found Family, I'm Bad At Tagging, Idiots in Love, OTA but working at the SCPD, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Roy Harper & Felicity Smoak Friendship, Roy is snarky in every universe, Slow Burn, You Have Been Warned, but still five terrible years, lance is everyones dad, no vigilantes, season one rewrite, sort of I pick and choose, when i said slow burn i meant it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2020-03-05 15:40:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 127,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18831631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/more0rLessJess/pseuds/more0rLessJess
Summary: Felicity Smoak has had a rough couple of years and all she wants to do is move on with her life and start her own tech company. After an incident at Queen Consolidated, she quit and accepted a job working as a technical analyst and computer expert at the Starling City Police Department, where she’s stuck for at least another year thanks to the non-compete clause she signed in her Queen Consolidated contract. But as much as she’d rather be in the tech world, she does love being able to help others. Plus she gets to do that with the help of a certain Detective, who she may or may not be attracted too.Oliver Queen just finished five years in the Army Special Forces and is only working as an SCPD Detective because his best friend and fellow soldier, John Diggle, said it would be good for him to help pull his life together after years of hardships in the military. Oliver expected to hate the job, but what he never expected was meeting the IT girl with a heart of gold and her own demons to deal with.Captain Quentin Lance just wants a functioning police department.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first published fan fic ever. Which is very scary and is making me nervous and excited at the same time. I love to write and I love these characters and their stories and I hope I can do them justice. But with Arrow ending, and this season being a rollercoaster of disappointments, I decided to post this story (which I'm currently still writing) and share it with fellow fans. If yall would be so kind to leave kudos, or comments, and let me know if anyone is interested in it continuing, I'd love you forever. I don't mind a little constructive criticism but do it gently, I'm fragile lmao. Without Further Ado- my first fanfic!

            Sometimes, as Felicity walks into the Starling City Police Department lobby and flashes her ID badge to the officer on front desk duty, she can’t quite believe this is her life. If someone would have told her old hacktivist self that she’d be working as an IT consultant and computer forensics analyst for the SCPD, or any police department really, she would have called them crazy and then hacked into their bank account to book them a nice stay in the nearest psych ward.

 She’s already been the SCPD’s resident overqualified consultant-slash-analyst-slash-whatever-computer-help-needed person for almost a year now and with any luck, one more to go before she can quit and start her own technology company. One more year left of that stupid non compete clause from the contract she signed while still at Queen Consolidated as an IT expert. A job she was also overqualified for but actually enjoyed, because she had a chance to work her way up the corporate ladder and eventually head Applied Sciences. Or well, that had been part of her five year plan before the _incident_. She couldn’t help but frown at the turn of her thoughts. 

“Stop it, Smoak. It’s too early with too little coffee to keep contemplating how off track your life went. So what? You may not be where you thought, but at least you’re doing some good and helping people.” She mutters to herself, then with a determined nod she takes a sip of the coffee she picked up from her favorite little café on the way to work. 

Letting out a sigh a of contentment, she reaffirms her position, “You also have wonderful coffee from your favorite café so life can’t be too bad. Rule number thirty-two, enjoy the little things…” 

Felicity sneaks a quick glance around the hall after making that last statement, her uncontrollable babbles and lack of filter already make it hard for people to take her seriously. 

The last thing she needs is one of her fellow public servants to hear her talking to herself and making _Zombieland_ references. Thankfully no one seems to be around, seeing as she’s early and it’s a little after 7:00 am and most of the officers and other employees come in around 8:00 am and those who have to pull graveyard shifts are most likely knocked out at their desks in the bull pen or changing in the locker rooms before heading home.

            Thank goodness for shift change.

             Finally she reaches the elevator doors and with a quick press of the button, she’s waiting patiently and sipping her coffee in a slightly better mood after her pep talk to herself. Usually she’s a much happier person, but the month of February tends to suck for her especially with the anniversary of _the incident_ coming up soon. But before she go down that rabbit hole of terrible memories, the elevator doors slide open and she steps inside. As the doors are closing, a tanned hand darts out into the closing gap to stop it from shutting. Felicity looks up from it and into the face of probably the most handsome man she’s ever seen.

            Suddenly she’s glad she hadn’t taken a sip of her coffee while the doors were closing because she definitely would’ve done a spit take, because _frak_ , he’s gorgeous. A light scruff covered his chiseled jaw, full pink lips turned in a slight frown, a straight nose, and thick eyebrows drawn tightly over intense blue eyes. He’s also huge. Felicity can feel the heat creeping up her face at the terrible way her brain just phrased that. All she meant was that he was very tall, broad shouldered and muscular.

 She knows she has a wide-eyed deer in the headlights look on her face but she can’t help it. No human being should be allowed to be that attractive, it’s not fair.

            Once she notices she’s staring, she breaks eye contact and steps back into the small space to make room for him. He nods politely at her before smoothly stepping in and towards the buttons on the wall opposite of her. He presses the button for the second floor, the same floor she’s headed too.

            “Which floor?” He asked, with a quick gesture to the buttons.

            “Oh, uhm same as you actually..” She gave him a tight smile, because she’s feeling nervous right now and when she gets nervous, her mouth gets away from her and she babbles and its mortifying.

             He just nods, before leaning casually against the wall and pulls his phone out of his black dress pants pocket. She forces herself to stare at the doors in front of her and ignore him. Her stomach is starting to feel a little floaty in its trademark about to hack way. It’s not that she’s completely undone because she’s near an attractive man. It’s more of his presence is large, seeming to fill the elevator entirely and in the silence of small space she can hear his breathing, which is triggering her anxiety and making her feel trapped. To expel some of her nervous energy, Felicity shifts her large purse to her shoulder instead of the crook of her elbow and rolls her warm coffee cup between her clammy palms.

             Finally the doors slide open, and Felicity felt like she could breathe again. She can’t help the sigh of relief that escapes as she steps out of the elevator. Taking a deep breath to center herself, just like Sara taught her, she starts making her way to Captain Lances office.

 

 **

 

As Oliver Queen checked his email to confirm he was headed to the right floor for the office of Captain Lance, he was dreading seeing Lance more than he probably should for his first day as an SCPD detective. Lance was his boss and a good captain according to Diggle, and John Diggle doesn’t give out underserved flattery.

But Dig also didn’t have the history that Oliver does with the Captain.

Oliver Queen in his youth had been an obnoxious playboy who did nothing if he wasn’t gaining something from whether it be booze, drugs, women or just a promise of a good time.

But he had changed.

His fathers untimely death then five years in the Army as a Green Beret and in a Special Operations unit made sure of that. He wasn’t that same selfish womanizer who was dating Quentin Lances eldest daughter Laurel, while sleeping with her younger sister along with whoever else was willing.

Oliver was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of something rustling, he glanced up at the woman in front of him. She seemed nervous, fidgeting slightly with her coffee cup and looking straight ahead at the doors. He had heard her earlier talking to herself about her own life and job which he couldn’t help but sympathize with. Oliver had never expected to be where he was now, but shit happens and all a person could do was adapt and survive through it.

He wasn’t sure what her job was here, because he was pretty sure she wasn’t a cop. She was short, even in the pink heels on her feet, but despite her small stature her toned legs seemed long under her slightly short skirt. She wore a black dress with bright multicolored flowers that rose up from the hem to the waistline where the dress tapered in and showed off her curves.

Her outfit just didn’t seem very officer like.

Oliver’s eyes trailed up to her face, she was beautiful. Her full lips were painted in a bright pink that matched some of the flowers in her dress. In contrast to the almost cheerfulness of all the colors she showcased, she wore dark two-toned glasses that slightly hid her blue eyes and had her blonde hair pulled into a professional pony tail.

She just seemed so vibrant, that the nervous energy she projected seemed wrong. He felt like she deserved to be as animated as the bright colors, the golden hair and the pattern on her dress suggested.

That thought confused Oliver and also made him slightly guilty. She was a stranger, and even if she wasn’t, he had no right to decide what she should or shouldn’t be. He knew firsthand what is was like to be judged on appearance and first glances alone. That broke his observation of her off, she already seemed uneasy and he didn’t want to make her more uncomfortable by catching him staring or place the same assumptions others made of him, onto her.

He looked back down and checked the email one last time before locking his phone and putting it back in his pocket. As soon as he was done putting it away the doors opened, and Oliver followed out the pretty blonde who let out a sigh that sounded almost relieved to his ears. She set off down the hallway at quick pace, her heels clacking against the old linoleum flooring. Oliver headed in same direction because Captain Lances office was at the end of the hall.

It was nearly silent around them as they passed the outer edges of the bullpen where officers were either slumped over on their desks or tiredly drinking coffee from their mugs. Oliver supposed it was about to be shift change where refreshed but probably still tired cops were going to replace them for the rest of the day.

Suddenly the blonde pulled a sudden stop in front of him and whirled around.

“Are you following me?” She demanded, arms crossed against her chest and an impressive glare behind her glasses.

Oliver held up his hands in a placating gesture, palms out and open, and took a step back. “No, of course not. I’m supposed to be meeting Captain Lance in his office, which is at the end of hall.”

Her faced colored some and she dropped her arms to her sides. “Oh! I’m sorry. I thought you were following me because you were really close behind me and no else is really around or paying attention and it just felt a little hinky. Not that your hinky! Or creepy or a stalker or anything! But its early and I may be too caffeinated and Smoak women have very active imaginations, not that I’m imaging you any kind of way, stalkerish or not. Oh my god, Felicity shut up now.”

Felicity, as he deduced from her little speech, slapped her hand over her mouth to physically stop herself from talking. But Oliver couldn’t help the small smile of amusement that crossed his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he genuinely smiled and he felt a rush of gratitude towards her for causing it.  

She looked embarrassed and he didn’t want to cause her any more, so he ignored her babble completely and stuck out his hand, “Felicity Smoak? Hi, I’m Oliver Queen.”

Felicity’s cheeks seemed to pinken a little more and her eyes were a little wide behind her glasses, but she took his large hand in her small one and shook it.

“Hi, Detective Queen right? The captain told me you’d be starting this month but I had no idea it was today. I’m actually heading to his office right now too.” She said, her head tilted back some so she could look him in the eyes.

“You can just call me Oliver.” He requested.

“Okay, Oliver then.” Felicity said, smiling up at him.

His breath literally caught in his throat. Oliver thought she was beautiful before, but with her stunning smile aimed at him and her blue eyes twinkling and looking into his own, she was absolutely radiant. He lost whatever he was about to say, caught in her actual breathtaking smile.

“Felicity? What’re you doin’ here so early?” A gruff voice calling out broke through his daze.

He dropped her hand, which he hadn’t even realized he was still holding. Oliver looked over her shoulder to see Captain Lance near the end of the hall, armed with coffee and a disapproving frown aimed at him. Felicity spun on her heel and took quick steps to close the distance before speaking.

“Oh, well I had some work I wanted to get started on plus I knew you’d just drink your coffee for breakfast so I brought you something heart heathy,” She gestured to her purse, “Because I know for a fact you’re not drinking the smoothies and protein shakes Sara pre-made for you! Which is not good because right now your heart is unhappy, so I’m unhappy and me and your heart will both feel better after I force you to eat this spinach and egg white English muffin.”

Oliver was surprised at how familiar Felicity’s seemed to be the Lance family. She mentioned Sara and was obviously worried about Quentin’s health. He wondered when they all became so close, because when he was around the Lances while dating Laurel, they never mentioned a Felicity, and Oliver knows for a fact he would remember her. For his part, Captain Lance seemed to take her long ramble in stride and shot her a grumpy look, but his eyes were shining with fondness.

“You girls are gonna kill me with all the drama and the nagging before my ticker ever does.” Lance grumbled.

Felicity just gave him a cheeky smile, pulled a wrapped sandwich out of her bag and thrust it at his chest, forcing him to grab it with his free hand before it fell. He rolled his eyes before turning his attention back on Oliver.

“Queen,” He barked out, “I see you were serious about being a detective. Take a seat in my office and I’ll be with you shortly.”

Oliver just gritted his teeth at the not so veiled insult and nodded his head. Lance and Felicity stepped out of the way to he could move into the office, the latter mouthing ‘good luck’ at him. He gave her a quick wink before shutting the office door.

 

           


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is being a protective dad and Felicity is just not having it. Oliver is grumpy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post this chapter as well and I have another pre-written and then I'm basically just hoping for the best. By that I mean, hoping that the writing gods are merciful and bless me with good, well written ideas. Also hope I find enough time to write because ya girl is constantly working.

As soon as the door shut, Lance turned his full attention on Felicity, which immediately caused her guard to go up. Usually Lance and her got along great, him and Sara Lance had been her wonderful strong support system this past year. Without them and their unconditional friendship and support, she would’ve either gone crazy or moved back to Vegas where her mom is. With that being said, when he’s looking down at her with his patented ‘disappointed dad’ face she’s a little peeved and feels like she’s thirteen again.

She didn’t _do_ anything.

Felicity understands the Lances and the Queens have complicated history, Sara explained it all to her over tequila shots one night, so she gets why Lance would be wary of Oliver, but he seems vastly different than his past self. Or at least he doesn’t seem like the kind of man she pictured from the stories she was told. Heck, until he introduced himself in the hall she hadn’t even recognized him.

Felicity felt she doesn’t deserve a scolding for just being nice to the guy. Obviously from Lances terse greeting, Oliver was going to need a little encouragement and a friendly face around here. Felicity was getting ready to say all of this out loud to Quentin, but he held up a finger before she could speak.

“Sweetheart,” He began, “I know you don’t know Queen at all, but I saw that little wink he shot you. You know what he’s put Laurel and Sara through. He may have joined up and gotten a good record but a person can’t change that much in five years. He’s bad news when it comes to women and relationships.”

At that, she moved to interrupt because hello? She’s a grown woman and she can be nice to a man without wanting to get into his pants! Along with the fact that Laurel kept choosing to take him back after he cheated on her multiple times, it’s not like he tried very hard to hide his infidelity. Plus, she loves Sara, she does, but Sara was also an adult who made the conscious decision to have consensual sex with her sisters boyfriend. So, it’s not exactly like Oliver can take all the blame there. They were all toxic for each other.

 Not too mention, she’s pretty sure he was just being nice back to her in a very platonic way because she is so _not_ his type.

She’s not brunette, tall and model skinny.

Like Laurel is, or the other girls she’s seen splashed across gossip magazines before he joined the Army.

“Quentin, I understand you’re trying to protect me. But it’s the 21st century and I am a grown woman! Just because I smile at man does not mean I want to sleep with him! And just because he smiled back does not mean he wants into my pants either! I’m not even going to touch on the Laurel and Sara love triangle right now because that’s a whole other rant.” She said angrily, and borderline in her Loud Voice.

She wanted to stomp her foot but that would probably undermine her ‘grown woman’ point.

Lance grimaced at the mention of them sleeping together, which made her flush a little but she stood her ground. He was basically a dad to her and talking about sex with a parent was always uber weird. He must’ve recognized the look on her face because he spoke again before she could embarrass them both.

“I know, kiddo. But I also know him and I know what men think. You’re a pretty girl with an even prettier heart. After everything you’ve been through, I just want to see you happy and safe. That’s all I care about. It’s been a rough year.” Lance said gently.

She deflated a little at that.

“I understand, I really do.. I’m not even ready for any relationship anytime soon. You remember what happened a couple months ago.” Felicity let out a bitter laugh, “Not to mention I kinda accused him of following me when we were walking because I’m apparently paranoid and almost hyperventilated in the elevator because I could hear his breathing.”

Lance shifted his sandwich to the other hand, softly squeezing her shoulder with his free hand and giving her a sympathetic smile.

“Hey, after everything a little paranoia and anxiety is completely natural. You’re doing great, sweetheart. But you know you can always come to me if you needa talk to someone, right?” He asked with an encouraging look.

Felicity felt warmth flood her chest. Quentin Lance could be an outdated, grumpy old man but he was also a caring, devoted father through and through.

“Always, and I am so grateful for everything you and Sara have done for me.” She said smiling softly.

Lance made a shooing motion with his hands, but she knew she saw a little shine to his eyes. “Alright, alright enough of that. Go do your work. I’m not paying you to stand around and talk.”

“Aye, aye Cap’n.” She grinned and gave a mock salute.

He rolled his eyes at her, turning to go in his office. Felicity laughed and headed toward her own office just a couple doors down from Lances on the same floor. The office that was the envy of her coworkers in the tech corner of bull pen, and proof of Lance being a wonderful human being (and pseudo dad) to her.

 

**

 

Oliver only had to wait a few minutes before Captain Lance entered the office, shutting the door behind him with more force than strictly necessary, in Oliver’s opinion. That action, along with the gruff way Lance addressed him earlier set his teeth on edge. He knew that this meeting to welcome him to the SCPD wasn’t going to be very welcoming. It was frustrating, because all Oliver wanted was to move on from the checkered past he left behind and go forward.

He wasn’t the same man he used to be.

But Oliver had come to terms with the fact that everyone he met that knew the Queen name, especially in Starling, were going to judge him first and only time knowing him now could change their mind.

With that thought crossing his mind, Oliver sat up straighter and squared his shoulders. He been through far worse than a little superficial judgement (even if Lance had valid reasons to dislike him). He could handle this, and he’d have to get used to it seeing as Lance was his boss now.

Lance walked to his desk, set the wrapped sandwich and coffee in his hands down carefully before taking a seat in his chair. He didn’t say anything at first, just frowned and leaned back in the chair with crossed arms. Oliver had the sudden urge to roll his eyes.

If this was Quentin’s attempt to intimidate him, he was going to have to try a lot harder.

Oliver refused to break the silence, only meeting Lance’s harsh brown eyes and staring back at him. After a moment, Lance suddenly leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and steepling his fingers.

“Listen, Queen,” He began, “I don’t like you much, and I think that’s pretty mutual. The only reason I choose to hire you here is on the recommendation of John Diggle and the fact that Starling City needs all the good law enforcement it can get. But I want you to get something straight, you work at the SCPD now, which means I’m your boss and you report to me. You were military, you should understand the chain of command. So, none of your past bullshit attitude and entitlement. It won’t fly here. You got that?”

Oliver clenched his jaw, his index finger rubbing against his thumb in agitation. “I understand that Captain. But you need to understand that that was the past and I’m not the same man I was five years ago. I’ve changed so I’d appreciate you at least trying to see that.”

Lance looked him up and down carefully and said, “The army will do that to a man.”

Oliver just nodded once tersely. Lance sighed heavily and grabbed for his sandwich. He peeled open the wrapper then made a dismissive gesture at Oliver with his hand. Oliver felt slightly relieved, he figured that whole conversation could’ve gone a whole hell of a lot worse. He’ll take a firm warning and dismissive gesture over the other possibilities. As Oliver reached the door Quentin called out his name. He turned to face to Lance, noting the harsh set of his mouth and the fierce look in his eyes.

“You stay away from Felicity Smoak. She’s a good girl who doesn’t need or deserve any of your crap. She’s been through enough. I saw you wink at her, and if I hear one cross thing from her about you, or if I see something that makes me think you’re disrespecting her in the slightest, you’ll be outta this job and on your ass before you can wink again. We clear?” Lance said, facing Oliver but gripping the edge of the sandwich wrapping.

 Oliver was a little surprised at this show of fierce protectiveness for the petite blonde, he had only seen Lance behave that way when it came to Laurel and Sara. He didn’t know Felicity or anything she’s been through, but what he did know was that he’d never do anything to hurt her on purpose. He didn’t know why he felt that way, but something about her just seemed so vibrant and full of life that he wanted to make sure she stayed that way. So, for once he actually agreed with Captain Lance.

“We’re clear.” Oliver said.

“Good. Now get the hell outta my office so I can eat my breakfast in peace without staring at your ugly mug.” Lance said, then turned back to face his desk.

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some good Delicity scenes. Also Oliver should never play poker with Diggle, because Dig always knows when he's bluffing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I am absolutely beyond thrilled with the response I have gotten so far with this story. You guys are just so lovely and sweet with all the comments and kudo's it made my small Grinch heart grow three sizes. Thank you thank you thank you! I'm pretty happy with how this chapter turned out, it kind of kicks off everything else. I managed to finish/add onto this chapter and do some major plotting for the rest of this story so I am super excited to keep writing! Kind comments and kudos are always welcome and always appreciated (:

One perk of her job at the SCPD was the office Captain Lance granted Felicity when she was hired. She had her own at Queen Consolidated when she worked there so it was fair for her to have her own at the SCPD as well, which was the official reason she gave to her co-workers, but the unofficial reason was just couldn’t stand the thought working in the tiny area set off in the corner for other tech specialists.

It was cramped, with all the tech’s sharing desk space and huddled together closely with their backs to the rest of the officers in the bull pen.

When he first offered the job, Felicity had freaked out some internally (while externally eating an entire pint of mint chip) thinking about being in such close contact to others. But Captain Lance was already doing so much to help her that she couldn’t bring herself to ask for anything more.

Lance, bless him, hadn’t even let it become an issue, knowing through his experience as a cop and a father, had walked her right to her office on her first day and told her the office was hers. He had added in typical gruff Quentin fashion that only Felicity and himself had keys to it so she had better keep it clean since the cleaning crew couldn’t get in if she locked it and he sure as hell wasn’t going to clean it.

Felicity had almost started crying in pure gratitude and pulled a startled Captain Lance into a hug. He had patted her back awkwardly and said it was no big deal and she deserved her own space.

But to her, it was a big deal.

It was the first time she had even felt the desire to hug someone since everything. That day was the first time Felicity felt some of her old optimism and faith in the goodness of other people returning. Having her own space filled with her pictures and knick-knacks while she worked with technology and computers gave her a feeling of control, like she was taking back her life.

When she first started she kept her office locked while she worked for the first few months, only unlocking it if someone was dropping off tech or evidence. But now, she kept it unlocked most of the time. Only locking it if she was working on something complex and didn’t want to be disturbed or was having a bad anxiety day.

Despite her brief unease in the elevator, Felicity was having a good day so her office door was unlocked but still closed.

Felicity scanned her surroundings, from the bright purple couch pushed against the wall with a small coffee table in front of it, to the figurines and cutesy objects decorating her desk that faced the door, and the large servers behind the desk that powered the three computers screens on the tabletop.

So yeah, she loved her office and what it meant to her.

A quick knock on the door broke her out of thoughts.

“Come in.” She called out, glancing at her desktop to check the time. It was almost nine am so she figured most of the officers and detectives were here by now to start their daytime shifts.

The door opened and the large frame of John Diggle stepped through the door. John had been a detective with the SCPD for about six months now and Felicity had worked with him numerous times. Despite his intimidating stature (tall and muscled with basically bowling balls for biceps) he was kind and had a calm demeanor.

He reminded Felicity of a giant teddy bear, huge and scary looking but soft and squishy on the inside.

“Soft and squishy? Guess I should start working out more.” John commented with amusement in his warm brown eyes.

Felicity groaned, and felt her face heat up. “I’m sorry John, I didn’t mean to say that out loud. My brain to mouth filter has failed once again, leaving me dying of embarrassment. All I meant was that you seem kinda scary but you’re actually super duper nice. I didn’t mean to offend you!”

John waved away her apology, “No worries. I always wonder how your brain works so its fun to hear out loud.”

Felicity gave him a grateful smile for taking her babble in stride and asked, “What can I do you for?”

  “I just wanted to check and see if you got anywhere with James Holders financials?” He asked.

“Ah,” She said, turning to her computer and pulling up what she had come in early to work on,” Unfortunately, so far everything looks clean. Who ever does his accounting is good at cleaning dirty money, I’ve been trying to find proof of embezzlement but with all the shell companies he routes his money through its taking too much time because I have to keep stopping and getting warrants and clearance. Back in my hacking heyday it would’ve taken ten minutes and some caffeine. Hypothetically I mean, hypothetical hacking.”

Diggle laughed at that, “Don’t worry Felicity, I’m not gonna arrest you. You’re too valuable to us here, plus before I could even take out my handcuffs the Captain would burst in and stop me.”

Felicity just grinned and shrugged, because yeah, she knew she sometimes got special treatment from Captain Lance but she was also extremely good at her job and helped the department with a lot, just last week she completely rewrote their online criminal database to where it was quicker and more user friendly.

So she felt that she earned it.

“Probably true. But I wish I could find something, its looking like he’s going to get out of the faulty smoke detector charges.” Felicity said with a frown.

Diggle nodded, “It’s looking that way, and I was one of the arresting officers and did a hell of a lot of leg work gathering evidence for that case so I’m frustrated about how it’s turning out.”

Felicity understood his frustration and gave him a sympathetic look and said, “Well they got Al Capone for tax evasion so don’t lose hope just yet. I’ll find something here, its turning into a mystery and those need to be solved.”

John smiled, showing his straight bright white teeth, “If anyone can find something, its you.”

Felicity’s heart soared. As much as she’d rather use her skills in the actual tech world, it felt good to help people and have a part in putting the bad guys away. She also appreciated John’s faith in her skills, it made her want to work even harder to find something on James Holder.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Detective Diggle.” Felicity grinned at him.

He rolled his eyes, “For the last time Felicity, call me Dig, Diggle or John.”

She gave him a cheeky look. “I know but Detective Diggle has a nice ring to it.”

“You’re a pain in the ass, you know that right?”

Felicity laughed, “Keep insulting me and I’ll put my hypothetical hacking skills to good use and screw with your credit score.”

He gasped dramatically and gave her a faux hurt look. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.” She said, flexing her fingers over keyboard.

He held up his hands in surrender and slowly backed out of her office, Felicity’s laughter following him out the door.

“I’ll let you know if I find anything on Holder!” She called after him.

He didn’t respond but she figured he heard her.

**

After his brief, but slightly hostile meeting with Captain Lance, Oliver found the desk with his name plate on it in the cluster of other desks and chairs in the bull pen. He was sitting at his desk waiting on Diggle, his assigned partner, to come by and give him a tour of the station and a run down on how things usually worked around here. Oliver passed time searching through his desk drawers, which were empty except for a few paperclips and a pen with its cap missing. All in all it was rather bare, nothing save for his name plate, and a computer screen on the table top and its console tucked under the desk.

But he’d never needed much. Five years overseas in the Army Special Forces will do that to someone.

Oliver pushed that thought away. He didn’t want to survive out of a go bag with no personal possessions anymore. He wanted to actually live his life and put down roots. Starling, for all its faults and memories of his past behavior, also housed his mother and sister, Thea, and his old friend Tommy.

Hell, part of the only reason he came back here was because John lived here now.

Oliver had no idea what the fuck he wanted to do with his life after the mission in Hong Kong that got his entire unit, including Dig, honorably discharged and sent packing. John moved back to be closer to his brothers widow and her son, his nephew. Dig originally worked at a security firm before he met Lance and got hired as a SCPD detective. John knew Oliver was just doing odd jobs, wandering aimlessly and pulled strings with Captain Lance to get him hired to force Oliver to pull his shit together and do some good.

“Man, I thought I told you to leave that broody face overseas?” The voice of his partner and best friend, John Diggle said.

Oliver smirked, turning in chair, “And I thought I told you that you’re not my CO and I don’t listen to you.”

 “We both know who was in charge out there, and I do have her number which she told me to use if your head gets stuck too far up your ass again.” Dig chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

Oliver matched his expression and said, “We both know that you wanna call Lyla’s number for more than just to talk about me.”

Diggle gave him an unimpressed look and gestured to his hip. “Oliver, we’ve only been partners again for about an hour and I already wanna shoot you.”

Oliver smirked, but remained silent. He’d missed the good natured teasing he was constantly receiving from Dig, and he was glad that even though their field of work had changed, they still had that easy camaraderie. When Diggle realized Oliver wasn’t going to say anything else he just rolled his eyes.

“C’mon, I’ll show you around and brief you on the cases I’m working,” John paused, then continued, “There’s one I’d like to get your opinion on, James Holder.”

Oliver nodded, “I saw some of it the news. I want that son of a bitch behind bars too.”

With that said, Oliver stood and followed Dig around the precinct for a tour.

**

Hours after the tour had finished and the real work began, Oliver was officially caught up on all of Diggle’s still open and going to trial cases. The cases ranged from burglary, to missing persons, to homicide. Oliver was stunned at the amount of cases Diggle had to deal with, the pile was overflowing. Fortunately, now that Oliver was hired he’d be able to take over some of Dig’s to make it more manageable, along with new case assignments as they come in.

James Holder’s was one case that had Diggle frustrated, which was hard to do because John Diggle was nothing if not even tempered. That was the case files they were pouring over now. Holder was corrupt business man who knowingly installed faulty smoke detectors in low income housing in the Glades and it resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries. So far, even with all the evidence Diggle collected it looked like Holder was going to be able to get acquitted. When he realized that, Diggle started looking for evidence of other crimes, like embezzlement, money laundering and insider trading.

Oliver thought that was smart. Men like James Holder are usually corrupt through and through and are complicit in other crimes. He echoes those thoughts out loud.

Diggle nods, “That’s what I thought too. I have Felicity looking into the cyber aspect of it, but she says it’s slowing going because she has to get warrants and enough PC to keep going.”

Oliver’s head jerked up from the file he was reading, “Felicity? Felicity Smoak? Blonde hair and short?” He asked.

Dig’s brows furrowed together. “Yeah,” He confirms, confusion lacing his voice, “You know her?”

Oliver shook his head, “No. Not really, I met her this morning outside of Captain Lances office.” He hesitated, before continuing, “What does she do here?”

”She’s a computer analyst and tech expert. She does everything from computer forensics to resetting people’s computer passwords.” John chuckles at that, “Which she never stops complaining about because she’s a literal genius, like massive IQ and all.”

Oliver had thought she seemed intelligent, her glasses and pony-tail seemed to allude to it, but he would not of guessed she worked in technology and with computers.

Aiming for casual, he asked, “Oh okay, I was curious about what she did here. Her and the Captain seem close.”

The look John gave him made it clear he was failing at nonchalantly digging for information, but he played along anyways.

“Yeah, that’s because they are. I know that Felicity is best friends with Sara Lance, although I think there’s more too it than just that.” Diggle stopped, then gave Oliver his patented judgmental eyebrow raise, “But it’s also not my business, so I never asked. It’s not yours either, Oliver. You’re already on thin ice with the Captain from your party boy glory days.”

“Hey! I was just wondering, that’s all. No need to read me the riot act.” He said, somewhat defensively and little sarcastically.

Diggle opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off from the shrill sound of his cell phone ringing. He answered the call, which Oliver was relieved about. He didn’t need another lecture about leaving Felicity Smoak alone.

However, Olivers relief was cut short but the look on Diggle’s face.

Immediately Oliver tensed, “What’s wrong?”

Diggle spoke quickly into the phone telling the other person they’d be there shortly.

He hung up, meeting Oliver’s eyes with a somber expression. “James Holder has been shot and killed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my last pretty much pre-written chapter, after this it's all just in my head and in my rough outline and not saved in a good ole word document. But I am going to try my hardest to update once a week from now on, not really sure yet what day that will be because my work schedule is so crazy. I was thinking probably on Sundays? Maybe another chapter this Sunday if I can find the time to sit and write. But again, I really appreciate everyones kindness and love and comments for this story! (:


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dig and Oliver visit the crime scene. Felicity has to stay late, but at least she gets Big Belly Burger. Lance still doesn't care for vigilantes in even in this AU. However, across all universes Dig still acts as Olicity's mediator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, yall. This chapter is the longest yet and man did it take awhile. Work kicked my ass this week and so did this chapter, but I am so happy I finished it. Not a ton of Olicity moments in here, but I did tag slow burn, and there definitely will be more to come. As always, I am thankful and appreciate any comments and kudo's you lovely people want to leave behind, it really helps motivate me. (:

By the time Oliver and Diggle reach the top of James Holders penthouse, his body had already been removed from the rooftop pool he fell into when he was shot and zipped into a black body bag. Oliver studied the scene in front of him, the pool water was tinged red from Holder’s blood, but nothing else looked disturbed. No turned over pool chairs, or other signs of a struggle. That along with the fact the elevator required a key card to get to this floor, had Oliver assuming the shot came from long distance. Diggle stopped to have his own look around then moved to speak with the medical examiner.

 

Oliver walked to the edge of the rooftop, the cool wind cutting across him and seeping through his suit jacket. The buildings surrounding Holders were mostly other expensive high rise living and corporations, most were dark at this time of night save for their bright electric signs and stars reflecting off the windows. But there was only one that could give the access and opportunity to take the shot. It was a parking garage adjacent to the Holder’s building, where most the residents and workers on this street parked at.

 

“M.E. says it looks like the gunshot was from a high caliber rifle, probably from long distance, but the bullet went straight through the heart and he died quickly.” Diggle called out to Oliver.

 

Oliver turned from the edge to see his partner kneeling next to the pool and looking in the bloody water.

 

“I think the gunman took the shot from that parking garage. But with the wind tonight and low visibility, it’d still be a hard shot to take. What do you think?” Oliver asked grimly, pointing to the parking garage.

 

Dig stood and joined him at the edge of the rooftop. He scanned the building in question with an analytical eye. Back in the Army, Diggle was their go to guy in the unit for long distance missions requiring a sniper. Oliver never had the patience for it, preferring to be in the action than far away.

 

Finally Diggle nodded, “I’m pretty sure you’re right. But Oliver that’s a hell of a shot to make on the first try. A direct shot to the heart.. I’m not even sure if I could make that.” As Dig said the last part, the look on his face made it clear he was reluctant to admit it.

 

“Then this guy is a professional gun. You’re one of the best snipers I’ve ever met and if you couldn’t make that shot then there’s a very small list of people who can.” Oliver said, his voice hard.

 

Diggle ran a hand across his face. “Yeah, the hitman probably won’t be hard to find but who hired them? Most of this city wanted Holder gone.”

 

Dig had point, which meant they had their work cut out for them.

 

**

 

Felicity’s work day went by quickly. She was about to start gathering her belongings and heading out for the night, when Captain Lance stepped into her office. She gave him a quick smile.

 

“Hi Captain,” Felicity greeted then asked, “What’s up?”

 

The somber expression on his face had her smile falling, and her lips turning into a frown.

 

“Just gotta call that Holder is dead, shot and killed by a sniper on his buildings rooftop. Queen and Dig are thinking it was a professional. John said he’s gonna email you a shortlist of names to run tonight to get their contact info and last known addresses so we can start gathering alibi’s. Sorry but you’ll need to stay a little longer.” Lance said, his gravelly voice seemed rougher than usual.

 

Felicity sighed. “Guess now that I won’t be heading home on time tonight, my plans to binge the shows piling up in my DVR and drink an entire bottle of wine are done… But why do you seem so upset about it? Not that I’m happy Holder is dead or anything, because that’d probably make me a bad person, but I don’t exactly care that he’s dead. Which I guess might actually make me a bad person if I don’t care? Then again, Holder was pretty terrible, so maybe it’s like saying you’re okay with Hitler being dead.” She paused thoughtfully, “Well no, I take that back. I’m a Jew so I’m definitely more than happy Hitler is dead. But Holder wasn’t Hitler level bad, he just like a medium villain so--”

 

“Felicity,” Lance cut her off, ending her ramble, “I just don’t like the thought of someone taking justice into their own hands. We have the court system for that. Starling City doesn’t need any…” He paused, searching for a word then finished with, “vigilantes. Vigilantism only creates more problems, what Holder got wasn’t justice, it was just cold-blooded murder.”

 

Felicity wasn’t sure if she agreed with that. Holder wasn’t a good person and he hurt a lot of people. Maybe it was because she used to be a self-proclaimed “hacktivist” back at MIT, but she felt that sometimes the courts moved to slow and as law enforcement they were hindered by different legalities in solving crime. Many a time while running court approved background checks or waiting on warrants to get cell phone history or to ping a GPS, she wished she could speed it up with a little unapproved sleuthing (i.e. hacking). However, she also knew better than to argue morality and ethics with Quentin at this time of night.

 

 To argue those points, she’d need coffee to bribe him and Sara for back up. So seeing as she was lacking both of those at the moment, she just nodded at him and pulled her email up on the computer in front of her. Sitting in her inbox was an email from John with the list of names, and a title line of “Re: Potential Snipers.”

 

Felicity snorted a little at that. When she was at QC she used to get emails titled with things like “How Do I Download PowerPoint” or “Need to reset my password” but never anything about snipers.

 

At least there’s not a dull day at this job.

 

She glanced at the list. Lance wasn’t kidding about a shortlist, there was only five names on it. Felicity figured she could track them down easily enough with the databases the SCPD did have access too without requiring warrants. She echoed that thought aloud for Lance to hear.

 

“Okay, thanks kiddo. Keep me updated. Diggle and Queen should be back as soon as they’re done canvasing the area around Holders building.” Captain Lance said, heading towards the door.

 

“Okie dokie, will do.” Felicity waved bye distractedly at him, already focused on her new task.

 

**

 

 

It took her about an hour to clear the names on the list, three of them were living on the other side of the country with nothing suspicious about them, one passed away after being hit by a drunk driver six months ago, leaving the final name who actually did live in the same state but they were currently in a rehab facility one hundred and fifty miles from Starling City. The rehab facility was even able to provide video evidence of the person sitting in group therapy during the time of the shooting.

 

So, Felicity officially had bupkis. She picked up her phone and dialed Diggle’s number to let him know the names he gave were cleared.

 

“Hey Felicity.” John said, picking up after the third ring.

 

“Hey,” She said into her phone, “Bad news bears. All the names you gave me were clean, only one was even near Starling at the time and they are currently under lock and key at a rehab center hours from here.”

 

John’s muffled sigh came through the line, “Damn it. Thanks anyways, Felicity. We’re heading back to the station now, and we’re bringing you Holders phone to search through, maybe you can find something on it.”

 

“Okay,” She agreed easily, then before she could say her goodbyes and hang up her stomach growled loudly.

 

“Damn girl, was that your stomach?” His voice, while tinny sounding over the phone, was full of laughter.

 

“Do not judge me John Diggle, it is currently,” Felicity glanced at the time in the corner of her computer screen, “eight pm and I haven’t eaten since noon.”

 

John chuckled, “Text me what you want from Big Belly Burger and I’ll bring it back for you.”

 

She grinned, “You’re my hero, Dig. See ya soon, and sending my order now!”

 

He said his goodbyes, then the line went silent. Felicity shot him a quick text with her order and a reminder that she was allergic to nuts, because better safe than sorry.

 

**

 

Oliver watched as Diggle hung up his phone then maneuvered the car into a turn lane that would take them away from the station and towards Big Belly, which Oliver was grateful for. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until Dig had mentioned food on the call with Felicity.

 

“So, the names on the list were a dead end?” Oliver guessed from what he overheard.

 

Dig sighed again, nodding his head. “Yeah, Felicity said they were all clean. Hopefully there’s something on Holders phone that will give us a lead, because I can’t think of any other snipers that could have made that shot. Can you?”

 

“Not off the top of my head, no. Once we get back the autopsy report and forensics on the bullet it should be able to tell us more.” Oliver said.

 

Diggle made a sound of agreement and pulled into Big Belly Burgers parking lot.

 

“Is Carly working tonight?” Oliver asked, unclipping his seat belt.

 

“No, she’s at home with AJ.” Diggle answered, moving to get out of the car.

 

“Oh, I haven’t seen her in a while. She doing okay?”

 

“She’s fine, busy with AJ mostly.” Dig replied, but the look on his face made it clear he wanted Oliver to drop the subject.

 

Carly was a touchy subject with John, and Oliver decided to let it go. Dig had feelings for Carly, but he was still reeling over his messy divorce with Lyla, not too mention Carly is his dead brothers widow. It was complicated, and Oliver knew Diggle felt guilty about feeling that way towards his brothers widow while still having lingering issues with his ex-wife.

 

If there was anything that Oliver understood, it was complicated romantic relationships and love triangles. So, he was just fine with changing the subject.

 

“Man, if I would’ve known being a cop required so much fucking paperwork, I would’ve turned down the job. I’m dreading this scene report when we get back.” Oliver said lightly as they walked towards the restaurant.

 

Dig snickered, “Oh yeah? Because bouncing around being a handy man and doing a bunch of bullshit jobs is so much better. Don’t worry Queen, I’ll help you make sure you dot your ‘I’s’ and cross your ‘t’s’.”

 

“Hey,” Oliver defended, “At least it was simpler, and I do know how to write properly so no need for the attitude. Just for that dinners on you.” Then he purposefully didn’t hold the door, forcing Dig to grab the handle to stop it from closing in his face.

 

Diggle just rolled his eyes good naturedly and followed Oliver in. As they stepped up to counter John pulled up his phone to recite what order Felicity texted him. They ordered and got their food quickly (with John paying of course). The trip back to the station was uneventful, and after a pitstop at Captain Lances office to brief him of everything, Diggle led Oliver to Felicity’s office. It was close to Captain Lances, only a few doors down. Her office door was shut, so Diggle gave a brief knock. They waited a moment but there was no answer, so John slowly pushed the door open and stepped in.

 

 “Felicity?” John called out.

 

She was at her desk with headphones in, a red pen clamped between her bright colored lips, and was focused on the screen in front of her. Oliver noticed her pony tail seemed a little more disheveled than this morning, a few strands falling out and the ends curling slightly but she still looked just as pretty as this morning. She didn’t seem to hear him so John said her name a little louder, finally getting her attention. Her head popped up and her hand went to her heart.

 

“John Diggle you better be glad you come bearing gifts, because if you weren’t I would’ve kicked your ass for scaring me like that.” Felicity scolded him.

 

“Sorry, I knocked and called out your name but you didn’t seem to hear me.” John apologized, gesturing to her headphones as she pulled them out of her ears.

 

She eyed the Big Belly paper bag in Oliver’s hand, then gave John a smile. “Apology accepted. Now let’s eat.”

 

John laughed, “Not so fast, could you take a look at Holders phone first?”

 

Felicity sighed, looking at the food bag longingly. “I guess so.”

 

John smiled at her and pulled the evidence bag containing Holder’s phone out of his jacket pocket. Felicity gasped when she saw it and snatched it out John’s hands, leaving Oliver a little confused by her reaction.

 

“What’s wrong?” Oliver asked, it was the first time he’d spoken to her since this morning.

 

Felicity ripped open the bag, handling the phone carefully. “Why is this poor baby soaked in water?”

 

“It was in Holder’s robe pocket, and after he was shot he fell into the pool.” Oliver explained, then asked, “Is it too damaged?”

 

Felicity hadn’t looked up during his explanation, instead she was gingerly pulling apart the phone and laying the pieces on her desk. “I don’t supposed anyone has a bag of rice?”

 

“No?” Oliver and John said in unison, both sounding confused.

 

Felicity mumbled something under her breath, then pulled open one of her desk drawers and took out a microfiber cloth. She patted down some of the phone pieces, laying them gently on top of the cloth.

 

She finally looked up. “Rice can help get the water out of soaked electronics. Thankfully the sim card seems mostly okay, I just need let it, and the phone itself, dry off more before trying to turn it on.”

 

“Okay. We can eat while we wait.” John agreed easily.

 

Oliver shook the bag of food in his hand, “Where do you want me to set up?”

 

Felicity motioned to the small couch and coffee table against the wall, “There is fine. Hopefully by the time we finish our dinner date the phone will be dry enough.”

 

Oliver moved to set up the food on the table, by the time he sat down and started unpacking it, Felicity caught on to what she said.

 

“I mean, not a date _date_ because this is just dinner with coworkers, I’m not hitting on you guys. Not that anyone wouldn’t want to hit on you both, because you both are _wow_ but we’re at work obviously and there’s two of you and one of me, and that’d be sort of like a three-some and I’m really into that kind of thing, and oh my god, I am so sorry, someone please give me a burger because I can’t say inappropriate things if there’s something stuffed in my mouth…” Felicity groaned and shut her eyes, “In a normal eating non sexual way!”

 

Oliver was amused, huffing out a quiet laugh. John was less discreet seeing as he had to sit down he was laughing so hard.

 

Oliver took pity on her, bypassing her babble entirely, seeing as she was blushing and looked absolutely mortified.  He wasn’t embarrassed or offended, if anything he found it refreshing how she spoke so freely.

 

“Let’s eat and we can all go over what you found.” Oliver said, trying to hide his amusement.

 

“Okay.” She said meekly, then dragged her chair to the other side of the coffee table to sit opposite of them.

 

**

 

Felicity was horrified. She hadn’t babbled that bad in a while, she must be more tired than she thought. Her brain to mouth filter seemed to completely disappear when she was over tired.

 

Yeah.

 

That’s what she was blaming it on. 

 

Not the fact that Oliver Queen in all his attractive glory had (along with Diggle technically) brought her dinner for her and now she was going to have to eat with him. Don’t get her wrong, John was an attractive man, but to her, he was just Dig and she didn’t see him in that way. At the very least, he didn’t make her nervous and a little self conscious the way Oliver did.

 

Oliver hadn’t even done anything to make her nervous, he was just _him,_ all broad shoulders and scruff and square jawlines and blue eyes.

 

It was a lot for a girl to handle.

 

Apparently, her thoughts sounded dirty too. She wasn’t handling anything, because she just met him and definitely didn’t need a relationship right now or anytime soon.

 

Felicity tried to focus on eating her burger and the case that Oliver had started recapping. He told her about the sniper and how they thought it had to be a professional due to where the shot was taken and other details from the scene. Felicity shared her own work, updating them both in full on what she found.

 

Oliver met her eyes across the table, “Are you sure everyone on that list Dig gave you is clean?”

 

Felicity stared right back, a fiery look in her eyes, “I’m sure. I ran them again after I got off the phone with Dig.”

 

“Did you get the security footage from the rehab facility and make sure it wasn’t tampered with on the final name? And GPS the others phones to confirm they are on the other side of the country?” He pushed, obviously not realizing she was getting annoyed.

 

“Oliver!” Felicity chastised, glaring at him, “I don’t tell you how to shoot your gun, so don’t tell me how to do my job either. But yes, of course I did. I said they were all clear and they are.”

 

Oliver looked appropriately sheepish and John smacked him on the back of the head, so she let it go, finishing the last bite of her burger.

 

She stood, wiping her hands on a napkin before going back to her desk to work on the phone, ignoring the men.

 

John joined her a few moments later whispering, “I put Oliver on clean up duty for questioning your skills. He means well, we were taught to triple check all information and make sure there weren’t any mistakes when we served. Back there, a mistake or the wrong information could get someone killed. He’s still stuck in that head space.”

 

That made Felicity feel kind of guilty, she didn’t mean to snap on Oliver. She just so used to having to defend her work and prove she was the best all the time, because she was blonde and female in a male dominated field.

 

She glanced up at Diggle. “No worries. He doesn’t know me yet so he’ll learn.”

 

John chortled, “I have no doubt you’ll teach him that you are a badass genius in no time.”

 

Felicity grinned at him, “Speaking of those badass genius skills, I got the phone to turn on.” She waved the phone in front of them to see.

 

John held up a fist for her to bump, which she happily did. About ten minutes, and an abundance of saved porn on Holder’s cell phone, later Felicity finished going through his phone.

 

“Okay so looks like all he had on here was a BDSM kink and message thread with his Chief Financial Officer about the Unidac Industries auction. But his company was a pretty known bidder for Unidac.” Felicity stated.

 

Diggle snorted in amusement at the first part, while Oliver frowned.

 

“Another dead end,” Oliver said, frustration in his voice.

 

Diggle agreed, “Yeah. Once the autopsy comes in along with the ballistics we should know more. Until then, we should head home and get some rest.”

 

Felicity was relieved, she had been trying to hold back a yawn for the last twenty minutes. It was only nine forty-five at night but she was used to being in bed at this time. Or at the very least, on her couch with a glass of wine and binge watching Netflix.

 

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you both bright and early tomorrow.” Felicity said and waved bye to them.

 

John returned her goodbyes, shared a brief look with Oliver and headed out the door. Felicity caught the look and by Oliver’s hovering, she guessed it was John’s way of telling him to say sorry for earlier.

 

“Hey,” He started, meeting her blue eyes with his own, “I just wanted to say sorry for what I said, I didn’t mean to be pushy or question your work.”

 

Felicity smiled at him, “It’s okay. You don’t know me so its understandable you wanted to double check everything.”

 

And it was okay, she wasn’t mad. After what Diggle said and the time that had passed, she understood why he acted that way and she had let it go.

 

He gave her a small smile, the corners of his mouth barely lifting, “Thank you, Felicity. Get home safe and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“See you tomorrow,” She echoed.

 

He waved goodbye then left her office. Finally, a yawn escaped her. She got her stuff together, said goodnight to Lance (really it was her telling him he better be heading home soon too) then made her way to apartment to crash into bed.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally find out who killed Holder, well sort of. Oliver and Diggle tell Felicity a secret. Felicity decides to stop doing her job with one hand tied behind her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, two updates this weekend!! That is a lot of writing and my brain is melting a little bit, but I got struck with inspiration today and I couldn't help it. We are so close to wrapping up this story arc and moving on to the next, I think maybe one or two more chapters with this arc then I'll move onto the next part, so bear with me. Right now I'm building the trust between our OTA then we'll get to the good Olicity stuff. I also may have tweaked some of Deadshots backstory and motives but its my AU and I can do what I want lmao. Again Thank you all for reading and any comments and kudos you choose to leave behind would be so wonderful. ((:

It took another two days before the bloodwork and ballistics were done in Holders case. During that time Oliver was frustrated with how slow the bureaucratic process seemed to move. He wasn’t even able to spend that time solely focused on Holders case with John, due to the sheer number of other cases, they both had to divide their time between other them and James Holders. When Oliver expressed his frustration about it to Dig, all his partner did was give him a sympathetic pat on the back and a “crime doesn’t stop because you have other stuff to do, this is the job you signed up for.”

 

Oliver did understand that but he was used to more resources and a faster process. Back in the Army, his whole unit was Special Forces and were chosen for highly classified missions where the top brass gave them the tools they needed to complete it. Sure, they had to improvise sometimes out in the field but for the most part they had access to what they needed.

 

So for the past two days, Oliver had been writing reports, going over files, and re-interviewing suspects in other cases. It made him antsy, he was itching to actually _do_ something besides sit and wait.

 

Waiting had never been his strong suit.

 

The only bright side was that Felicity had gotten permission to go through the traffic camera’s around Holder’s building and had found a suspicious dark colored vehicle with heavily tinted windows driving out of the parking garage minutes after Holder was killed. The plates on the car came back stolen, so they couldn’t identify the driver through that, but they had a BOLO out on the car and were hoping for a hit.

 

Felicity was still searching through more footage to look and see where the vehicle had gone, but it was taking awhile because yet again bureaucracy stood in the way. She had to keep getting warrants and permission to look at the footage, and if her strongly worded emails updating her progress to himself and Diggle were any indication, she was just as frustrated with it as Oliver was. He looked forward to her emails, they always lifted his moods. The way she wrote the emails were so similar to the rambles she spoke in that he could almost hear them in her voice. 

 

Oliver sighed, pushed away the witness statement he was currently reading away from him, and ran his hands over his face. He had another pile to go through sitting on the corner of his desk and he was starting to get a headache behind his eyes.

 

“The job boring you Queen?” Captain Lances stern voice questioned from besides his desk.

 

Oliver lowered his hands and glanced at Lance, who had his arms crossed over his chest with a folder tucked under his arm and an unimpressed look on his face.

 

Oliver held back a snappy retort, because Lance was his boss. “Just sick of the lack of progress of the Holder case Captain.”

 

Lance pulled the folder from under his arm and tossed it to Oliver, who caught it. “This should help, the autopsy, bloodwork and ballistics are all in there. I was looking for John to give it too, but I guess you’ll do since you’re his partner.”

 

Oliver ignored the last part and started to read through the file. When he got to the toxicology screen, Oliver tensed. Without conscious thought his index finger and thumb started rubbing together anxiously.

 

“Has John seen this yet?” Oliver asked Quentin worriedly.

 

“Do you not listen to a damn word I say, Queen? No, I’m the first to read it and you’re the second, I gave it to you to share with him.” Lance said, irritation crossing his face. Then he took in Oliver’s body language. “What’s got you so wound up?”

 

Oliver hesitated, he didn’t want to give out too much information because this was Diggle story to tell not his. “The poison they found in Holders system from the bullet, curare, is something we’ve seen before. Back when we were serving.”

 

It was the truth, but only partially. Diggle had seen it way before Oliver ever had, and at great personal cost. Overseas with his unit, he’d seen this specific M.O. a few times from assassinations of government figures. That’s why Oliver hadn’t originally thought of this assassin, he typically was paid to target high profile political leaders.

 

Lance’s dark eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really? Care to share more? Do you know who did this then?”

 

“No, not really. I just know his Interpol alias, Deadshot.” Oliver said.

 

“Interpol? Great so now the Fed’s are probably gonna try and step in. Find Diggle, let him know what you found, then I want everything you two know about Deadshot on my desk. I’ll tell Felicity what we found and have her try and find whatever she can on this guy, he’s gotta be hiding out somewhere.” Lance instructed, then turned on his heel and headed for Felicity’s office.

 

**

 

Felicity squinted at her computer screen, trying to make sense of the blurry footage from the traffic camera. So far she had narrowed down the route the car had taken from the parking garage, but it led into the Glades where traffic cameras were more sparse so she had to keep asking local businesses for their camera footage and requesting access to ATM camera’s to keep track. It was slow moving and she wished she could speed it up with her hacking skills, but if she did that she might go to jail herself and anything found might be dismissed in court when they eventually arrested the guy.

 

“Sweetheart, you’re gonna go blind if you keep staring at that screen so close.” Lance’s voice said, cutting through her concentration.

 

She jumped in her seat, not having heard him come in and shrugged. “That’s what the glasses are for, I’m already blind so might as well use them. Also, we really need to get the city to install more traffic cameras in the Glades, this car search is taking forever.”

 

Lance snorted, “Good luck trying to get any city official to spend money on the Glades. But we caught a break, the tox report and bullet forensics came back. The shooter laced the bullets with a poison called curare and when I showed Queen the reports he nearly cracked his teeth with how hard he clenched his jaw. Apparently John and Queen know of the guy, seen his work overseas, he goes by Deadshot. They don’t know his real name.”

 

Felicity was already typing into her computers trying to find what she could. As law enforcement they had access to state, federal and international databases and she searched through Interpol’s first since Lance mentioned Deadshot was international. All that came up was a blurry picture of a white male with dark hair, the file on him was even smaller. Seems like the only thing Interpol knew was that he was male, who he had killed, and his M.O.

 

“Interpol has basically nothing on this guy. They don’t even know his real name. We’re not any closer to finding him now than when we didn’t know who he was. Anything special about the bullet he used? Was forensics able to figure out where he got them?” Felicity asked, her mind racing to try to find a way to track him down.

 

Lance shook his head, “No. It wasn’t in the report but I know from experience that they’re similar to what we’ve seen used in local Bratva shootings. My guess is he’s using the Bratva as his arms dealer.”

 

Felicity groaned, “Seriously? The Russian mob too? So he’s an international assassin and messes with organized crime? He’s a bigger big bad than Holder was. Which means whoever hired him has some nasty connections as well.”

 

“That’s why we need to catch him. Now I need you to use that big brain of yours and your techy doo dads and find this son of a bitch.” Quentin said emphatically.

 

Felicity didn’t know if she wanted to smile or cringe at him calling her wonderful powerful computer babies, “techy doo dads.”

 

“On it, Captain.” She said, then added cheekily, “Also please don’t call my computers ‘doo dads’, your old Quentin, but not that old.”

 

Lance gave her an unimpressed look. “Funny, kid. And do me a favor, keep Diggle and Detective Dumbass updated on what you find, and let them know about the Bratva connection too. I forgot to mention it earlier to Queen when I gave him the file.”

 

Felicity mock saluted him and picked up her work phone to dial Detective Dumbass (aka Oliver) to come to her office with Dig so they could have a team pow wow on the case.

 

 

**

 

 

Oliver found Diggle at the coffee cart in the lobby of the SCPD.

 

Diggle took a sip of his coffee and observed Oliver. “You have an even more broody than usual look on your face, what’s wrong?”

 

Oliver handed him the reports Lance gave him. “They found curare on the bullet and in Holders bloodstream. It’s Deadshot.” He said it bluntly and to the point, which he knew Dig would appreciate.

 

Diggle grimaced, his grip tightening enough on the paper coffee cup that Oliver saw it start to cave inwards.

 

“I should’ve known this was him. I can’t fucking believe I didn’t think of it sooner, he could be out of the city by now.” Diggle said, his tone dark.

 

“No man, this isn’t on you. I know just as much about Deadshot as you and I didn’t think of him either. How could we have known? His hits are usually across the ocean and government officials.” Oliver said, trying to comfort him.

 

“This son of a bitch killed my brother, right here in Starling so he doesn’t always go overseas and for political targets. Now he's targeting other civilians, that doesn't fit with his usual M.O. But I still should have known.” John repeated.

 

Oliver wasn’t sure what to say. He knew that Diggle carried around a lot of guilt and anger about his brothers death. John wanted to find Deadshot and have him face justice for the crimes he’s committed but had never been able to find him. Oliver had helped the search while they were still special ops, because back then they had enough favors and resources to do it. Now without those same favors and resources, they had missed Deadshot when he was right under their noses.

 

“We’ll find him, John. Felicity is working on tracking him down as we speak. When we do, you can ask why he went after your brother, and we can figure out what's changed with his targets.” Oliver said to reassure his friend.

 

Then as if just saying her name summoned her, his cellphone rang with Felicity’s work number. He flashed the screen at John.

 

“This is her now.” Oliver said then slid his finger across the screen to answer, “Hello?”

 

“Hey Oliver, Lance just dropped by and explained the sitch to me. I’m searching for Deadshot as we speak, and I think I have an idea on how to find him quicker. Bring Diggle up to my office and we’ll have a team meeting.” Felicity spoke quickly over the line.

 

“Got it. We’re on our way.” He said then hung up. “Felicity may have something, she wants us in her office.”

 

John nodded distractedly and followed Oliver to the elevators.

 

“John?” He called out.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“I didn’t tell Lance anything about your personal history with Deadshot, just that we’d seen his work overseas. No one knows but me and we can keep it between us, its your call if you want to tell the Captain or anyone else.” Oliver said firmly.

 

Diggle looked at Oliver, his eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you, man. I.. I haven’t decide if I want to share that yet.”

 

Oliver just nodded, “Like I said, its your call.”

 

 

**

 

Felicity glanced at her phone, the long buzz still echoing loudly in her ears.

 

“Okay rude, he could of at least said bye.” She muttered to herself, slamming her phone back into its cradle.

 

Felicity didn’t have to wait long for them to show up. But she wasn’t expecting the grim expressions on their faces when they did.

 

“Why do you both look like someone peed in your cheerios this morning? We know who killed Holder, its good news.” Felicity said, her eyes narrowing.

 

The men shared a look but didn’t say anything. That pissed Felicity off, because they were supposed to be a team working on this together and they were obviously holding something back.

 

“It’s nothing, Felicity. Just tell us what you found please.” Oliver spoke up, while John remained silent and wouldn’t meet her eyes.

 

“Oh no. That’s not how this works. We are a team here, and you both are so obviously keeping something from me and I deserve to know what. Secrets don’t make friends.” She paused, crossing her arms. “Well I don’t know if we’re friends friends, but we’re definitely teammates and teammates shouldn’t keep secrets. So spill.”

 

Oliver glanced at John, and something passing between them that Felicity couldn’t quite read. If they didn’t tell her soon, she was going to just kick them out of her office and lock it behind them.

 

Finally John spoke up, “I know more about Deadshot than Oliver let Lance believe. We did come across his work in the service, but… but Deadshot also killed my brother.”

 

John’s voice was serious, almost clinical, but Felicity could hear the hurt lying underneath. She was stunned, that was not what she was expecting.

 

Her eyes wide, she leaned back in her chair and blew out a breath. “I’m so sorry John. I can’t imagine how tough this must be for you.”

 

“It’s not easy, and I want to be able to see this through and put him behind bars.” John said, then hesitated, “I know this isn’t fair to ask of you because I know how close you and the Captain are, but he can’t know about my brother yet, if he knows he’ll pull me off the case and I need to get this bastard. I’ll tell him after we catch Deadshot. Please don’t tell Lance yet.”

 

As much as Felicity hated the thought of telling a lie of omission to Lance, she also understood where John was coming from. He was torn up in anger, sadness and a need for revenge. She could relate to that after everything she went through this last year. Felicity had had Quentin and Sara to help her through it, and right now she had the opportunity to help someone else who went through something traumatic.

 

There was no choice to make here. She’d keep his secret, and they’d put Deadshot behind bars for good. This was personal to her now, John Diggle was a good man and a better friend, she’d do anything to help him. Which meant she was about to something really illegal that she hadn’t done in a long time, and honestly? She was excited.

 

Felicity met his eyes, determination burning in hers. “Your secret is safe with me. But only if you both promise to not see what I’m about to do.”

 

“What are you going to do?” Oliver asked, curiosity and little wariness in his voice.

 

“You’ll see.” She grinned, then frowned. “Or well not see, which is kind of the point. Go sit on the couch and I’ll have Deadshot’s location soon enough.”

 

Oliver let out a noise of surprise, while Dig just gave her a thankful look. John led Oliver to the couch and they both sat down. She could feel their eyes on her, but she didn’t let it distract her. Originally, her idea to help get Deadshot’s identity and location was to get Oliver or John to find an informant willing to talk about or to the Bratva and see if they could pull their information that way but now, she was going to hack to her heart’s desire and hopefully not go to jail.

 

She leaned forwards, cracked her knuckles and started typing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank goodness for good Samaritans who email tips into the police. Also, they do some stuff by the book, if the book was titled "How to Screw Up Completely." Turns out in every universe our Arrow gang works best by bending some rules.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. Yall. This chapter is offically the longest and I hope its not too long?? I wanted to fit everything that happens in this chapter in just one to set up the next chapter and finish the Deadshot arc so we can move on. Because wow, this little storyline is way more in depth than I had originally planned. Also it's kind of hard for me to get in Oliver's headspace, in my AU he's been through some crap but not as much as canon so he's a little lighter in this story, less broody. I hope it doesnt seem OOC or anything bc I am terrified of making any of these wonderful characters OOC. Anyways, sorry for the rant. I'm posting this now bc I'm going out of town after this weekend for a few days so I'm gonna try and write a little more before then but if not I wanted to update this now in case I got too busy. 
> 
> Also- I appreciate and love all you fantastic human beings who are thoughtful and kind enough to comment and leave kudos. It makes writing so much more exciting so thank you!! Any comments or kudos for this chapter would be lovely. <3

Oliver watched as Felicity typed furiously into her keyboard. She was close enough to the screen that he couldn’t see the blue of her eyes from the reflection of them on her glasses, but he could see that her eyebrows were pulled together, and she was biting the corner of her pink full bottom lip. While she seemed laser focused, the sight of her biting her lip distracted him. Oliver cleared his throat and shifted his attention away from her. It somehow felt wrong to have those kinds of thoughts about her when she was just doing her job, it wasn’t fair to her and he needed to keep his mind on Holders case.

 

As he looked away from Felicity, he caught Diggle eye. John just gave him a small smirk and a knowing look. Oliver ignored that because he was not about to encourage any teasing from Dig.

 

“What exactly is she doing?” Oliver whispered to his partner.

 

John’s face was serious, but his eyes were mischievous.

 

“I don’t think I want to know, because I’m pretty sure she’s giving us plausible deniability right now.” He kept his voice low, as to not distract Felicity.

 

Oliver wasn’t sure what to say to that. He wasn’t exactly a stickler for the rules himself, but he didn’t want Felicity to get into trouble on their behalf. So he just remained quiet. The next twenty minutes passed in silence, the only sound filling the office was clacking from Felicity’s keyboard.

 

The relative quiet was broken when Felicity leaned back and pumped her fist into the air. “Okay so Deadshot’s real name is Floyd Lawton, he is currently staying in a really crappy apartment in the Glades, and he is definitely still in town.”

 

Oliver had to stop his jaw from dropping open, if Dig’s wide eyes were any indication he was just as surprised as Oliver was. Oliver was also impressed; numerous government agencies had no leads on Deadshot’s true name for years and all it took Felicity was twenty uninterrupted minutes with a computer.

 

“How in the hell did you find that out so fast?” John asked, incredulity lacing his voice.

 

Felicity just grinned, her eyes twinkling behind her glasses, “Well it seems like a good Samaritan emailed the SCPD his name and address anonymously. But hypothetically, if I were to do the search, since he was suspected of using the Bratva for arms dealers, I would have traced the money and ammo order through known Bratva shell corporations and bank accounts then found where said weapons and ammo order was delivered then hacked into surrounding cameras around the building and ran a modified facial recognition program on all people entering and leaving the building, then narrow it down through process of elimination. The only person with the right height, build and hair color had a military background and dishonorable discharge was one Floyd Lawton. He was dumb enough to rent an apartment in his own name and voila, location and identity. But that’s hypothetically of course.” She said it quickly, all in one breath.

 

“Felicity, you are remarkable.” Oliver said, looking at her with admiration. He hadn’t known about the Bratva connection, but he guessed that’s what she was going to share before Dig revealed his secret.

 

She blushed and smiled at him, “Well, thank you for remarking on it.”

 

Oliver couldn’t help but return her smile. Something about her smile was contagious.

 

“Wait,” John started, “this won’t come back to you will it? Hypothetically of course.”

 

Oliver was worried about that too. He didn’t want her going to jail for helping them, however he knew if it came down to it, he’d lie for her if he had too. She was a good person and everything she had done was to put away a bad one. He knew without a doubt John would have her back too.

 

Felicity gave them both an impish look. “No, it won’t. The email was sent through so many servers and bounced around so much, it’d take a hundred years and a super computer to trace it. And the program I-“ She cut herself off, “I mean the program I would have hypothetically used would be one of my own invention so there’s nothing to link back to there either. Well sort of mine, the base code is from the ARGUS’s facial recognition program that I borrowed then rebuilt how I wanted a really long time ago. This was the first time I’ve gotten to use it, which is exciting.”

 

John just blinked, “You stole an ARGUS program?”  


“Hypothetically.” Oliver cut in.

 

Felicity looked offended and said uncertainly. “I didn’t steal it, not really. For a super secret organization, they have super hackable firewalls. And I just borrowed it and made it better, it was a side project from a while ago. Plus, if anything, it was more like plagiarism. Which may not be better because I knew people at MIT who got expelled for that, universities do not play when it comes to plagiarism. But I never ever plagiarized in college, it was all my own work. I earned my double masters degrees, I swear.” She shook her head, as if to clear those thoughts, “that’s not the point I’m trying to make. Are you mad?”

 

Oliver was simply speechless. He knew she was intelligent, Dig had even called her a genius, but what she’s accomplished is beyond measure. ARGUS is a top secret government agency who’s true purpose few people knew about, most were under the impression that it was just for research, so the fact that Felicity was able to get into their systems and take a program without getting caught was, well, remarkable. Not to mention the fact that she apparently had double master’s degrees from MIT. He was truly amazed by her.

 

Oliver himself never got a degree, he dropped out of four colleges before his father died and he enlisted. Hell, the only reason he was a detective with no degree was because strings were pulled.

 

Not for the first time, Oliver wondered what she was doing at the SCPD and not using her considerable talents at a tech company somewhere.

 

“Felicity I’m not mad, I’m amazed. You’re amazing. I just wish we could use the full range of your ‘hypothetical’ skills on other cases.” John said proudly, using his fingers to make air quotes around hypothetical.

 

The pink on Felicity’s cheeks darkened more and she shifted in her seat. Oliver noticed that she didn’t seem used to compliments, she seemed almost bashful when both he and John complimented her and her work. Which was crazy, Oliver thought, because she deserved them.

“Yeah, I do too.” Felicity said wistfully.

 

Oliver was about to speak so they could start planning how they wanted to move forward now that they knew who, and where, Floyd Lawton was but before he could, the door to Felicity’s office opened. Captain Lance stood in the doorway observing the three of them.

 

“Why do you all look like the cat who ate the canary?” Lance questioned.

 

Oliver sat straighter and glanced at Felicity. Her proud, shy smile had fallen, replaced with a slightly guilty one as she looked at Lance. Oliver knew either he or John had to say something before Felicity started on one of her rambles and incriminated herself accidently.

 

“We found out Deadshot’s identity and where he’s staying, Captain. His name is Floyd Lawton. An anonymous tip was emailed to the SCPD, it was untraceable though. Right, Felicity?” John prompted, giving Felicity an encouraging look.

 

“Oh yes, uh, anonymous. I couldn’t trace it, it was bounced everywhere. Whoever sent it was really good, as good as me.” Felicity laughed nervously, “So yep, untraceable. But thank goodness for good Samaritans, am I right?” She brought her hand up and fidgeted with her glasses.

 

Oliver fought back a groan, Felicity was terrible at lying.

 

They were probably all going to jail.

 

Great.

 

Lance looked unimpressed. “Mhm, a good Samaritan.” He stared down Felicity.

 

To her credit, she stared back at him, shoulders straight and a defiant air around her. Felicity held her ground, not saying a word. Lance finally heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes.

 

“Alright, fine. This good Samaritan reached out just in time, because Carl Rasmussen was just shot and killed by a sniper while getting in his town car for lunch. It looks like it was Deadshot, the tech’s field tested the bullet and it was positive for curare. So why the hell did this guy switch from political hits to businessmen?”

 

Oliver stood up from the couch and gestured to the door, “Why don’t we go bust down his door and ask?”

 

John murmured his agreement, while Lance shot him a dirty look.

 

“Slow down there, cowboy. This ain’t the average perp, we need to be careful how we approach. I’m going to put in a call to SWAT and get a team ready to take Lawton down. But we do this smart and by the book. Lawton’s dangerous.” Quentin chastised him.

 

Oliver’s irritation spiked, Dig and their unit had taken down worse than Lawton before and they could do again, by themselves. They didn’t need SWAT back up. This was Diggle’s takedown, and they didn’t need others in the way.

 

Almost as if John had heard his argumentative thoughts, he stood as well and spoke up, “The Captain is right, Oliver. I want to get this bastard, but we need to not take any chances. SWAT can lower the risk to ourselves and could help bring Lawton in alive.”

 

 “Okay, fine.” Oliver said begrudgingly.

 

“Holy frak.” Felicity’s gasped from behind them.

 

All three of them turned to face her. She looked surprised and a little angry.

 

“Sweetheart, you have something to share?” Quentin asked, sounding amused.

 

Oliver didn’t miss the pet name Lance called her, nor did he miss how Felicity didn’t even react to it, like she used to it. Yet again his curiosity was peaked on how they got so close.

 

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner. We’ve been trying to figure out why Lawton changed the type of victim he chooses. You know what James Holder and Carl Rasmussen have in common?” She asked, then didn’t wait for an answer, “They’re both corrupt businessmen who are known bidders for Unidac Industries. Holder had the fracking texts on his phone about buying it, and Rasmussen was in the ring too. I think someone hired Lawton to kill off their competitors, Unidac has an international reach but it’s headquarters are in Starling, where the auction is taking place, and exec’s from all over the world are coming here to bid.”

 

“So you think that whoever hired Lawton had seen his work overseas and hired him? A big enough pay day could definitely be the reason he changed his target type.” Oliver mused, catching onto her train of thought.

 

“Okay, I’d buy that, but what’s so special about Unidac that it’s worth killing for?” John asked.

 

“When I was at Queen Consolidated before…” She stopped herself from whatever she was about to say then said carefully, “Before I left, I did a report on all the rival tech companies in Starling, Unidac included. Unidac’s focus is on clean energy, but a lot of tech they design could just as easily be re-engineered as weapons. Bad people could sell that kind of tech for millions.”

 

Oliver was surprised, she seemed to surprise him a lot, he had no idea she used to work at Queen Consolidated. But it seemed fitting to him that she worked there. Someone with her intelligence and skills would be an absolute asset to a company like QC. Oliver wondered why she left. But he didn’t want to ask her that, it seemed to personal and he didn’t want to push her into telling him anything she didn’t want too.

 

Oliver knew what it was like to be asked too personal questions you don’t want to answer. It’s happened non-stop over years, from the media in his youth to his own friends and family when he returned home from his tours a little more scarred and a lot more grown up.

 

To be honest, he hadn’t thought much about his family company the past few years. He knew his mother was disappointed in his choice to become a cop and not be CEO, she basically told him as much when he first returned home after his tours. But Oliver didn’t care, his stepfather was successfully running the company, and doing better than he ever could with it.

Not to mention, Oliver could not stand the thought of working in some high-rise office doing nothing important. He liked being a cop, at least he might be able to make a difference in the world.

 

After every terrible act he’d committed in service to his country, he felt he needed to atone and being a cop stopping criminals was his way of doing that.

 

“Then we need to catch Lawton and get him to turn on whoever hired him because they’re the mastermind behind all of this.” Lance said his voice rougher than usual. “I’m gonna get the SWAT team ready, you two be ready to leave, I want Lawton in custody by tonight.”

 

“Yes sir.” Diggle acknowledged, while Oliver just nodded.

 

“I’d say not to take any crazy risks or doing anything stupid, but I know all three of you would just ignore me, so I’ll just say I hope you catch him.” Felicity joked. “I’ll forward everything I have to your emails.”

 

Lance chuckled and left the office, Diggle and Oliver following him, but before Oliver left the room he gave her a quick wink. He was gifted the sight of a blush spreading across her cheeks before the door shut all the way.

 

**

 

Felicity was on an adrenaline high from the hacking she did. It had been so long since the last time she used her full abilities at work and she was reveling in the feeling now. Of course, she knew she shouldn’t keep doing it. Lance most likely already knew there wasn’t a good Samaritan who tipped them off, and that it was just her. He seemed like he was willing to let it slide for now, but she didn’t think he’d be so lenient if she kept it up.

 

She was just happy she found out Deadshot’s real name and his location, once they got him they could figure out who hired him and put an end to this whole mess.

 

Felicity was anxious for her boys, she hoped everything went to plan and no one gets hurt. Oliver seemed like he was ready to charge in guns blazing plus this was personal for Diggle, and even Lance would be on scene because it was such a huge bust.

 

“They got this, Felicity. Calm down.” She muttered to herself.

 

**

 

Felicity spent the next couple of hours, after the adrenaline faded, in a state of total anxiety. She was so queasy she wasn’t able to eat the salad she brought for lunch and ended up totally destroying some of her teal nail polish because she couldn’t stop biting her nails. Finally, around three o’clock, her cell phone rang. A quick look at the caller ID told her it was Oliver.

 

“Hey! Did everything go okay? Is anyone hurt? Hows John? Did- “ She asked quickly.

 

“Felicity,” Oliver said, slightly sharp but not unkind, cut off her ramble before it could truly begin, “Everyone is fine. But Lawton got away, escaped after a shootout. Dig is leading the manhunt as we speak. We managed to retrieve his laptop but it took some damage, we need you to see if you can pull anything off it.”

 

“Frack, okay. I’ll see what I can do.” Felicity said.

 

“I’ll bring it by in about forty-five minutes.” Oliver said then cut the call, without a goodbye again.

 

“Bye Oliver.” She muttered sarcastically to herself, “He’s really gotta stop doing that, its so rude.”

 

Felicity was disappointed, she had hoped that they’d get Lawton and close the case for good. She was also upset for John, he had to be absolutely devasted that his brothers killer is still out there. After everything she went through she empathized with Dig, and it strengthened her resolve to do whatever it takes to put Lawton in a cell where he belongs. If she had to do more creative sleuthing (hacking) and email it “anonymously” again she would, consequences from Quentin be damned. She knew if she continued it Lance would know she was responsible and she didn’t quite know how he’d react.

 

However, she thought in this situation the repercussions would be worth it to stop a murdering assassin who killed the brother of a good man she cared about and was probably going to kill more people if he wasn’t stopped.

 

**

 

Oliver was pissed.

 

All their precautions are what gave them away. Lawtons apartment was on the second floor and as the SWAT team were getting into position outside, Lawton spotted them from the window and started raining down shots forcing everyone to dive for cover. Oliver and Diggle managed to get inside the lobby and get upstairs to Lawton’s hallway, only to catch him running toward the elevator with a gun in one hand and a laptop in the other. When they told him to stop, he fired at them, thankfully missing, and when they returned fire some of the shots caught the laptop and he dropped it.

 

Lawton then escaped into the elevator, they were able to shut it down and had thought they had him trapped, but when they got the doors open, a ceiling tile in the elevator was missing and he had escaped into the elevator shaft.

 

Police searched the building top to bottom, and he was no where to be found. Oliver assumed he made it to the roof and hopped the different roof tops to safety.

 

If Lance had listened to him, then this whole shit show would have been avoided. Oliver had wanted to do it quietly as possible and just post plainclothes officers at the exits and have only him and Diggle breach the apartment, to gain the element of surprise. Lance on the other hand insisted on rolling up with a SWAT truck with a team in full tactical gear and setting up a perimeter then breach, which was what gave them away and allowed Lawton to escape.

 

Diggle was currently leading the manhunt for Lawton in the Glades, which were full of abandoned properties with places to hide so they likely weren’t going to find him that way. They just didn’t have the man power for it.

 

Oliver had the damaged laptop in the passenger seat of his car as he drove back to the station. He was hoping that Felicity would be able to pull something off of it that could lead them to Lawton’s next target or a secondary location.

 

If anyone could retrieve information from a laptop with actual bullets in it, it was Felicity.

 

He reached the station without issue and walked straight into her office, not stopping to knock on the door. She jumped in her seat, startled.

 

“Holy frack Oliver, what is with you men scaring me by barging into my office? Knock next time!” She exclaimed, her hand to her heart.

 

“Sorry,“ He said then continued, “I have the laptop for you.”

 

He ignored the glare she gave him, he figured it was because his tone wasn’t very apologetic. In his defense, this was her office, not the ladies room. Plus getting information off the laptop was time sensitive.

 

Felicity rolled her eyes at him then made grabby hands for the laptop, “Gimme.”

 

He handed it off to her, and she gasped.

 

“Oliver you said _some_ damage, I expected a cracked screen, not this. First, drowned phones and now bullets in laptops. I’m starting to think you’re bad luck around technology.” She teased, looking up at him then ran her fingers over the holes in the casing.

 

While he wasn’t exactly in the mood for joking, her bubbly personality cheered him up. He liked that lightness about her, especially in the middle of this shit show. Oliver didn’t want to be an asshole or diminish that vibrancy so he joked back.

 

He sat in the chair in front of her desk, giving her a playful smirk. “It’s not my fault. I was just in a bad neighborhood.”

 

Felicity snorted then said dryly. “Uh huh, sure.”

 

Her tone was sarcastic, but she had mirth dancing in her blue eyes.

 

Felicity didn’t say anything else, just got to work on the laptop. She grabbed a small screwdriver from on of her desk drawers, and he watched as her nimble fingers quickly removed the case then pulled out the hard drive. Felicity plugged it into her computer and with few clicks of her keyboard she was completely focused on her screens. As she kept typing the look on her face got more and more serious, a frown pulling at her pink lips and her eyebrows scrunching together.

 

“Oliver come look at this, its not good.” Felicity said, gesturing at him to move to the area next to her.

 

He pulled his chair around the desk, so he was sat to her left side. He was close enough he could smell the citrus from her shampoo. Oliver pushed that to the back of his mind, then leaned forwards and looked at her screens.

 

“Are those blueprints?” He asked.

 

“Twenty points for Gryffindor.” She said, then pointed a blue painted nail to the corner of the screen. “These are for the Exchange Building where the Unidac auction is taking place this Friday. These blueprints, maybe even the whole laptop belongs to Warren Patel. He’s a competing bidder for Unidac, his company has subsidiaries all over the world, he could’ve heard of Lawtons work while at any of them.”

 

“So Warren Patel hired Lawton to kill off his competition. It makes sense. Deadshot is going to target the auction tomorrow to kill more bidders. I need to call Lance and Diggle, we need to warn everyone bidding and secure the Exchange Building.” Oliver said then stood up, preparing to head out and start making calls.

 

A small, almost hesitant, hand on his bare forearm stopped him, he had long since discarded his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt. Oliver was momentarily distracted by the warmth of her hand and how pale her skinned looked against his tanned arm. He centered himself, forcing those thoughts away and looked down into her somber eyes.

 

“Oliver, I don’t think we need to warn everyone.” Felicity said frowning, “By killing Holder and Rasmussen, their companies are in chaos. The only company who’s a serious competitor against Patel Industries now is Queen Consolidated. Which means Walter Steele is who he’ll be targeting.”

 

Oliver froze. He may not be as close to his family as he used to be, but Walter Steele was still his mothers’ husband whom she loved and his little sisters surrogate father. He couldn’t let anything happen to Walter or they’d both be devasted. She squeezed his forearm gently.

 

“Hey, it’s gonna be fine.” Felicity reassured him.

 

Oliver wanted to believe her, because he couldn’t stand the thought of causing his mother or sister anymore heartache.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity deals with some issues, one of which is that she sucks at secrets. Oliver becomes even more curious about her. Lance is really tired of all the Queens. Dig is just trying to keep everyone calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Can I just say how sorry I am for this super duper late update? Bc I am so sorry. Life this past week and a half has been insane. Work has been crazy, my house's AC went out for like four days while its 95 degrees outside, I had to go out of town and basically i've been nonstop adulting and dealing with real life problems that suck and I haven't had time to sit and write. Plus I had a teensy amount of writers block. But I pushed through it. This chapter is around 5000 words, so I hope that makes up for everything being so late. Which again, so sorry!
> 
> As always, any comments or kudos would be so appreciated. <3
> 
> Also-- this chapter deals with anxiety and its triggers, along with a near panic attack  
> I just wanted to give everyone a quick warning beforehand.

 

 

About an hour later, Felicity was seated at the large table in the conference room. They were all about to be briefed on the security plans for the auction tomorrow. Captain Lance sat to her left at the single chair at head of the table, Oliver was across from her and John was next to him. John had just come back from leading the hunt for Lawton, because it was likely they wouldn’t find him again before he wanted to be found. At least, not be able to find him the legal way.

 

They weren’t the only ones at the table, every chair was filled with other detectives and uniformed officers. To her right sat a uniformed officer that she was sitting as far away from as possible because he was leaning into her space in order to pay closer attention to Lance. He didn’t seem to do it on purpose, but he was way to close into her personal space, so much so that she heard his breathing and Felicity didn’t like it. Her chest felt heavy, and her heart started to feel like it was beating too fast. She kept trying to breathe normally but it didn’t feel like she was getting any air.

 

She didn’t want to say anything to the man and interrupt Lance as he talked about the security plans and what they’re doing about the Unidac auction and she definitely did not want to cause a scene or seem dramatic. She took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth like Sara had taught her in their training sessions. In the middle of an important meeting is not the time for her anxiety to sky rocket and her have a panic attack.

 

Oliver gave her a concerned look and mouthed, “You okay?”

 

 

Felicity nodded back with smile and a thumbs up. She quickly put her hand down and rubbed her sweaty palms on her skirt.

 

 

Mentally, she berated herself because she was so _not_ keeping a lid on her emotions, which she thought she had finally gotten the hang of. Plus, Felicity was fairly certain the thumbs up might have been a little much and definitely not convincing. She also felt bad for taking Oliver’s attention away from what Lance was saying because these plans were to protect a member of his family.

 

 

Truthfully, Felicity wasn’t the biggest fan of Moira Queen after everything that happened at QC but she’d never wish any harm on her, or her husband. While she was working there Walter had been kind to her, he was even the one who promoted her. The promotion was to spearhead special projects to determine what technology or companies would be good or bad for QC to buy or takeover. That lasted all of two weeks before she left. When he first called her into his office to promote her, she seriously thought he was going to fire her.

 

Honesty though, who could blame her?

 

Walter Steele was CFO at the time and the husband of the CEO, all Felicity did was work IT and after the complaints she filed with HR on her boss she assumed they decided she was too much trouble and were letting her go. She had been shocked when he promoted her instead.

 

Felicity couldn’t help but feel the smallest stab of yearning followed by bitterness, that promotion had been her absolute dream. She thought it had kickstarted her goal to climb the corporate ladder by giving her something to pad her resume, then she could eventually transfer to Applied Sciences like she planned. The promotion did change her life, but it was less of dream and more like a nightmare.

 

She let out a breath, exhaling those negative thoughts that were just going to drag her down a dark path towards a panic attack. It was a technique she learned from Sara, exhale a deep breath and clear the mind as it’s done. At first, Felicity thought that it would never work on her, as her brain was always going a million miles an hour, but after lots of practice, she tweaked it to work for her. She learned her mind just needed to distract itself. Felicity did that by focusing on her physical surroundings, anything she could see or hear.

 

She listened to the different sounds in the conference room to pull her ears away from the breathing of the officer next to her. Towards the end of the table, Detective Hall was tapping her pen against the folder on the table in front of her. Felicity picked that sound and started mentally counting every muffled tap.

 

 

The whole time she was going through her techniques to help the anxiety, she felt Oliver’s eyes on her. Felicity wasn’t sure why he was so focused on her. She guessed he was probably just worried about his family’s safety and wanted to be sure that everyone was paying attention.

 

When she got to sixty-four pen taps against the table, Captain Lance finished up the brief.

 

“Alright, you all know what you’re meant to do. Any questions?” Lance asked.

 

A chorus of ‘No, Captain’ and ‘No sir’ echoed around the table.

 

“Good. Go do your jobs and stay safe. See you all at the auction tomorrow.” He said, then pointed to Oliver and John, “You two stay.”

 

Felicity waited until the cop next to her had vacated his seat before she stood and pushed in her chair.

 

She waved goodbye at Quentin, “Bye Captain. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

 

“Actually sweetheart, stay here for a minute. I want to talk about some of the surveillance camera’s at the Exchange Building with you.” He gestured for her to have a seat.

 

“Okay.” Felicity agreed easily, sitting down.

 

“What did you want to us to stay for Captain?” Diggle asked.

 

“I’m going to get straight to the point.” Lance said, his voice stern.

 

Felicity tried to hold back a grimace. Any conversations with Quentin that started that way were never fun. By the similar looks on Oliver’s and John’s faces, they knew it too.

 

“We’ve tried to get the auction postponed, even reached out to Queen Consolidated about the threat and they don’t care. I want to catch Deadshot but if there’s a way to avoid any bloodshed or putting my officers in more harms way, I want to take it.” Captain Lance stared down Oliver, “You, me and John are going to go to the Queen Mansion, I want you to convince your mother and step father to not go to the auction or do what they can to post pone it.”

 

John raised his eyebrows, Oliver just looked frustrated. At himself, or Lance, Felicity wasn’t sure.

 

“Captain, I’m not sure what you think I’ll be able to do. This is about QC and money for the family business, they’re not going to listen. The Queens have had death threats before and lived. I’ve already spoken to them both, Walter isn’t worried.” Oliver said, sounding irritated.

 

The way he spoke about his family, by not acknowledging them as his mother or step father the way Lance had, struck Felicity as a little odd. She wondered if that meant the Queens weren’t the big happy family they presented themselves as.

 

Lance snorted, saying bitterly, “I’m well aware of what Moira Queen will do for her family’s business. But this is about more than QC, we’re putting innocent people at risk at the auction, along with my officers. Floyd Lawton will be there to finish his hit on Walter Steele and we’re trying to get more evidence for an iron clad case before arresting Patel. So, yes, the three of us are going to ask your family to reconsider going.”

 

“Alright.” Oliver relented, then glanced at her, “Felicity should come too. I know she used to work at Queen Consolidated, and she understands the corporate value of Unidac. She might be able to convince Walter that Unidac isn’t worth risking his life. Having someone who knows QC and what Unidac means to it could help explain it isn’t worth the risk.”

 

Felicity’s stomach dropped. She was pretty sure that was the worst idea she has ever heard. Moira Queen would definitely not listen to her. In fact, she’d probably have her escorted off the property by guards seeing as Felicity was kind of the reason Moira wasn’t CEO anymore. 

 

“Oh, um, well..” She stuttered, her fingers nervously clasping and unclasping on the table. Felicity looked to Quentin for help.

 

Lance glared at Oliver, “No. Felicity stays here, I need her to get familiar with the Exchange Buildings security system and their camera set up since she'll be our eyes.”

 

Felicity wasn’t sure if part of that was an excuse for her not to go or if he really did want her to do that. Either way she was grateful. Facing Moira Queen and Walter Steele was so not something she wanted to do today. Or ever again really.

 

“I can get started on that right away. I’ll be able to get in their system so everything they see, we see. But we don’t have access to the cameras in the surrounding buildings, so we’ll be half blind.” Felicity pitched in, hoping to divert attention from Oliver’s suggestion.

 

Lance turned to her, a firm look on his face. “We’ll work with what we have. I’ll have officers posted in all the buildings. I don’t want ‘good Samaritans’ giving us tips anymore, am I clear?”

 

Feeling chastened, she gave him a sheepish nod. “Crystal.”

 

Quentin’s eyes softened, he reached over and patted her clasped hands. She knew he didn’t say anything else because they weren’t alone in the room. Felicity could tell Oliver and Dig were watching their interaction with interest.

 

“Alright, you two be ready to leave in twenty. I’ll meet you in the lobby.” Quentin said.

 

Taking his words as the dismissal they were, Oliver and Dig stood and left the room. Felicity swore she felt Oliver’s eyes linger on her as they left. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

 

“Hey, you okay? You looked a little... stressed during the brief.” Quentin asked, his face filled with fatherly concern.

 

“I’m fine. Just a lot people sitting super close and it got to me for a second. But I’m okay really.” She explained, giving him a small smile.

 

 “Sara gets back into town this Saturday. Maybe you both should talk and train some. It could help. I know its been a tough week at work. How about you go home early? You could just work on the security stuff from there.” He suggested.

 

Felicity stopped herself from groaning in frustration. Quentin was just trying to help but she refused to give in to her personal issues. She was going to stay here and do her work like any other normal employee. Her anxiety didn’t get to control her life. Neither did her past. Leaving early and going home wouldn’t solve anything.

 

She was going to move on damn it.

 

“Thank you but no thank you. I’m staying.” Felicity said firmly. “Plus, Sara and I already have plans for this weekend. Don’t worry about me. You’re the one about to go face the Evil Queen.”

 

Lance studied her for a moment. He must have decided she meant what she said because he gave a quiet chuckle.

 

“You have some experience with that. Any advice for when I face her?” He asked, smirking.

 

Felicity grinned, rising from her seat. “Don’t sign anything and if she offers any apples, don’t eat them.”

 

She left the room, the sound of Quentin’s laughter filling it.

 

**

 

Oliver stood in the lobby with Dig at his side. They were both waiting on Captain Lance to arrive. Oliver was dreading going to the Mansion. He had only been to the house a few times since his first week back. At first, he had tried to stay there, and he’d only managed a week before crashing on Dig’s couch until he found his own apartment. The Queen Mansion never felt like home to him, and when he came back it was just full of reminders of his past. Oliver had moved on and changed, being there felt like he was going backwards. So he left. He still saw his mother, Walter and Thea occasionally for Sunday brunch. Typically, they would go out in town, that way the press could snap pictures of the ‘happy’ Queen family.

 

It was ridiculous, but his mother insisted.

 

The Queens had an image to uphold, he thought bitterly. He needed to get out of that state of mind before seeing his mother and Walter. If he didn’t he’d never be able to convince them. Hell, even if he was nice to them he knew changing their minds was a longshot. Oliver switched gears to what happened at the meeting.

 

“Did you notice Felicity seemed a little off during the brief?” Oliver asked John.

 

John shrugged, scrolling through his phone, “I did. She seemed kinda freaked out, my guess is that all the murder and assassination plots are getting to her. She’s a computer analyst, she doesn’t usually see so much of the death and destruction of field work. At least, she hasn’t in the months I’ve worked here.”

 

Oliver wasn’t convinced that was it. Felicity seemed like a tough person.  

 

He echoed those thoughts, “I dunno, man. I don’t think that was it. There seemed to be more. Plus, Lance nearly bit my head off when I suggested she come with us.”

 

Oliver had noticed how easily she startles and how tense her body language gets around unfamiliar people or small, crowded spaces. He’d thought her nervousness in the elevator the first time they met was just an off day, but he’d shared one with her a few times since and whenever it’s more people than just the two of them or John, around the strangers she seems uncomfortable.

 

John turned to face him fully, meeting his eyes. “You know the Captain dislikes you and is protective of Felicity. He could of just reacted badly to _you_ asking. What’s got you so curious about her, man?”

 

Oliver broke eye contact. He didn’t really know why, there was just something about her that made him want to know more about her. He was spared from having to answer by Lance arriving.

 

“If you two ladies are done gossiping, we can leave.” Lance said sarcastically.

 

Oliver gritted his teeth. Lance’s consistent open hostility towards him was starting to get on his nerves. He remained silent, the last thing he needed was a confrontation with his Captain in the middle of the SCPD lobby.

 

“We taking two separate cars?” John asked.

 

“Nope. We’ll take your patrol car, you drive, Queen can sit in the back. Your car got a cage in it?” Lance asked, an almost hopeful lilt to his voice.

 

“No sir. The back seat is open.” Diggle answered.

 

“Damn,” Lance cursed then gave Oliver a spiteful look, “Well I guess you did enough riding like a suspect in your youth, huh Queen?”

 

Oliver clenched his fist. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get along with Lance. He seemed to enjoy rubbing all of Oliver’s past mistakes in his face. Lance noticed his reaction and smacked him lightly on the shoulder.

 

“Lighten up, Queen. It was joke.”

 

“Hilarious.” Oliver bit out.

 

John shot him a look. The same one he always gave when he didn’t like Oliver’s attitude. Oliver had seen it so many times over the years, it didn’t faze him anymore.

 

“Alright, we better leave now. Traffic is going to be god awful since its rush hour.” John cut in, breaking the tension.

 

**

 

They didn’t reach the Queen Mansion until nearly 7 pm. Oliver knew that around this time his sister was usually upstairs in her room while his mother and Walter drank coffee or a nightcap in the living room. For that he was grateful. He didn’t want to worry his sister anymore than was necessary, and he was hoping the relaxed atmosphere would make his mother and Walter more agreeable.

 

The three of them approached the door and knocked. A few moments later Raissa opened the door.

 

“Mister Oliver, it is so good to see you. When they said you were at the gates I was surprised. You should have told me you were coming, I have already put away dinner.” She chided gently, with a smile.

 

“As wonderful as your food is Raissa, I just came by to speak with my mother and Walter.” Oliver said, trying to return her smile. He’s pretty sure it looked more like a grimace than a smile. But it was all he could manage at the moment.

 

She observed Lance and Diggle standing next to him, “Ah, yes. Well all three of you come in, come in.” Raissa waved them through the doorway. “Mrs. Queen and Mr. Steele are waiting in the drawing room.”

 

Oliver nodded his thanks and led them to the living room. His mother and Walter sat on the loveseat, she had a cup of coffee in her hands while Walter held a glass of amber liquid. Walter stood when he saw them and shook hands with Oliver.

 

“How good to see you, Oliver.” Walter greeted, then shook hands with Lance and Diggle. “You two as well, Captain Lance and Detective Diggle. Please have a seat.”

 

His mother remained seated, observing them silently without greeting them. The three of them sat on the couch opposite the loveseat.

 

Finally, his mother spoke up, looking towards Oliver with a cool look on her face. “I suppose this isn’t just a social call from my son is it?”

 

Oliver sighed. “No, mom. It’s not. We’re here to talk about the Unidac auction.”

 

She nodded gracefully, setting her cup down on the side table. “I figured as much. The only time you ever come here is if you absolutely must. Go on then. Try your best to convince us not too attend.”

 

Oliver cringed and shifted in his seat. This wasn’t off to the best start. His mother was trying to make him feel guilty for not coming around as often as he should, and it was working. Diggle cleared his throat awkwardly, adjusting his tie while Lance sat stiffly.

 

Well, at least he wasn’t the only one who was uncomfortable, Oliver thought dryly.

 

“Mom, I know how important Unidac is to Queen Consolidated but it’s not worth risking either of your lives for. Floyd Lawton is a dangerous man.”

 

His mother regarded him with indifference. “While I’m glad you’ve come to recognize the importance of your family company,” She delivered that thinly veiled insult the same way someone would comment on the weather, “This family has been threatened by many dangerous people before and yet, we’re still here. It is a good thing that we have the wonderful SCPD, that you chose to be apart of my son, to protect us.”

 

Oliver wanted to groan in frustration and tell Captain Lance ‘I told you so.’ This is going exactly as terribly as he thought it would. So far his mother has done nothing but be flippant over the threat and send passive aggressive comments his way.

 

“Mrs. Queen,” Lance spoke, his voice sharp, “This is a serious issue, you’re not only endangering yourselves but you’re also putting innocent bystanders and my officers in harms way.”

 

“So we’ve heard,” Walters said his accent sounding smooth, “Yet you’ve not told us why this threat is so credible. Who exactly ordered this ‘hit’ and why are you certain its on me?”

 

Captain Lance glared at him. “We have intel from a trusted source that the most likely target is you, Mr. Steele. I can’t tell you anything more due to it being an open police investigation.”

 

 

Walter didn’t seem convinced. Oliver knew they should’ve brought Felicity to help them. John must have had a similar thought because he spoke up.

 

 

“Mr. Steele, the analyst who believes it to be you, is extremely intelligent and amazing at her job. I’ve worked with her a lot over the past few months and she’s never been wrong.” John said with conviction.

 

Throughout the entirety of the conversation, his mother had seemed uninterested but as soon as Dig had mentioned their analyst, even unnamed, her gaze turned sharp and her eyes slid to Lance before turning her focus back onto John. Even Walter seemed to tense.

 

“And does this analyst have a name? Or are we meant to take your word on their qualifications, Detective Diggle?” Moira asked, her voice was even but Oliver knew her. This was her way of subtly digging for information without asking what she really wanted.

 

For some reason, he didn’t want to name Felicity. His mother seemed interested in her in a way that triggered warning bells in his head.

 

“It doesn’t matter who it was.” Lance cut in, gruffly. “Yes, you are meant to take my Detectives word. We wouldn’t do all of this without reason.”

 

Oliver shifted the subject off of Felicity and onto someone else. “What about Thea, mom? She’ll be there.”

 

Walter bristled, “I can assure you, your mother and I are not taking this lightly, nor would we ever place Thea in harms way. She knows of the threat, and it is her choice to come. I think we have been more than generous in listening to you all, but our minds are made. We are going.”

 

“Yes, we are. Oh, it’s getting late. Raissa will be more than happy to see you out.” His mother said with finality.

 

Raissa entered at the sound of her name. They all stood, heading towards the door.

 

“Thank you for your time. If you need us, we’re just a 911 call away.” With that parting shot, Captain Lance exited through the door, Oliver and John followed suit.

 

**

 

“Well that was a waste of time. Both of you go home and sleep. You’ll need your rest for tomorrow.” Captain Lance commented as they pulled into the station.

 

Once again, Oliver refrained from an ‘I told you so.’ Lance got out of the car before he could be tempted to say it, the door slamming behind him.

 

“He’s right,” John said, his fingers tapping the wheel, “We need to rest up.”

 

Oliver groaned, “I don’t think I’ll even be able to sleep. How are you holding up, John?”

 

Dig glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Just ready for this to be over with and move on.”

 

“I know, man. We’ll get him.”

 

“So, I think I might owe you an apology.” Diggle said, changing the subject.

 

Olivers eyebrows rose in surprise. “What for?”

 

“I saw the way they reacted when I mentioned Felicity. I definitely think they knew who it was and if by the way Lance shut you down when you suggested she go with us is any indication, there’s more to Felicity leaving QC than just finding a new job. I think there’s some bad blood there.” Diggle admitted.

 

 

Oliver sat up straighter, exclaiming, “I told you so!”

 

It felt good for him to finally get to say that.

 

Diggle rolled his eyes, then glared at Oliver through the mirror. “However, it’s still not our business unless Felicity wants to tell us. So leave it alone.”

 

Oliver was offended. “I’m obviously not going to ask her, Diggle. How low is your opinion of me?”

 

Dig smirked, “You really want me to answer that?”

 

Oliver reached forwards and flicked his ear, then got out of the car before Dig could retaliate. He knew Dig was just teasing so he wasn’t actually mad.

 

He entered the building, planning to spend a couple more hours looking over the security plans before calling it a night. Oliver had a feeling John would be doing the same.

 

**

 

The next day arrived quicker than Oliver wanted it too. Dig and he had spent most the night going over the security plans, making sure they were doing everything they could to keep the auction as safe as possible. They both eventually had gone home around two in the morning, only to be back at the SCPD at seven that morning. Oliver was used to functioning on that amount, or less, sleep. He was tired, but he was still alert.

 

He had just sat at his desk, about to catch up on paperwork from Lawton’s escape then review the security plans again, when Felicity walked up to his desk with a cardboard holder with three hot coffee’s and one cold one piled high with whipped cream and some kind of syrup drizzle on it. Oliver guessed that one was hers.

 

“Good morning! I brought coffee.” Felicity greeted, a bright smile pulling her painted pink lips up. “I didn’t know what kind of coffee you drank, so I just got you a black coffee. You seem like a bitter black coffee kind of guy. Not that I think you’re bitter! You’re usually super nice. I have sugar and creamer in my office, if you want any. I steal it from the break room because I have my own coffee pot in my office. Oh shoot, Quentin didn’t want me to tell people that. He thinks they’ll get mad ‘cause everyone else has to drink coffee out of that coffee maker from the 90’s. So don’t tell anyone please.”

 

Oliver couldn’t help but smile at her. Her babbles were endearing. She reminded him of sunshine. Partly because she was wearing a white blouse tucked into a bright yellow skirt that fell to her knees, and because of the way the morning sun was streaming through the skylight, illuminating her golden hair into softly shining around her head. He noticed her hair wasn’t straight as it usually was. It was still in her trademark ponytail, but it was curly today. Oliver wondered if her hair was naturally curly like that.

 

He made himself speak so he wasn’t just staring at her. “Black coffee is great, thank you. And don’t worry, your coffee secret is safe with me.”

 

She set the carrier on his desk, pulled out one of the hot coffee’s and handed it to him. He reached to take it from her, their fingers brushing slightly as the cup traded hands. Oliver noticed a blush spread across her cheeks at the contact.

 

Felicity cleared her throat then winked at him, “Okay good. I mean I did break a few laws for you and Dig, so it’s only fair you keep my secret.”

 

Oliver grinned at her joke, and at the fact that when she winked at him, both of her eyes closed like a blink. It was cute.

 

“You’re right. What kind of friend would I be if I couldn’t keep your secret after what you did for us?”  He asked, humor coating his voice.

 

“Not a good one. And I only commit felonies for good friends.” She replied cheekily, picking up her own iced coffee creation.

 

He laughed. It felt so good to laugh after all the shit from this week, especially after that terrible visit with his mother.

 

“What exactly is that?” He asked, pointing at her coffee, if it could even be called that.

 

“Iced caramel coffee with whipped cream and caramel drizzle. So basically pure sugar and caffeine and its wonderful.” Felicity said, her lips closing around her straw as she took a sip.

 

Her eyes closed as she let out a little sound of contentment that had Oliver feeling hot under his dress shirt. He shifted in his seat, loosening his tie. He looked away from her pink lips and at the remaining two coffee’s.

 

“So, who are the other two for?” Oliver asked, trying to focus on something, anything, else.

 

Her eyes opened, and she set down her coffee, glancing around. “They’re for Dig and Quentin but I couldn’t find Dig at his desk. Do you know where he went?”

 

“Where who went?” Dig chimed in as he walked up to them, coffee mug in his hand.

 

Felicity eyed the mug in his hand, her lips pouting. “You. I brought coffee but I see you already have some.”

 

Dig looked excited. “Hell no. This is straight sludge from that shitty coffee maker in the break room. I will happily take what you brought. Thank you.”

 

She perked up, handing him one of the other coffee’s with a grin. “No problem. And I know, I was just telling Oliver how terrible that one is.”

 

Dig nodded solemnly. “Yeah, it is. And I have a feeling you won’t let me use yours so I’m forced to drink sludge.”

 

Felicity gasped. “You know about my coffee maker? How? I keep it in my little storage closet so no one can see it.”

 

Diggle gave her an amused look. “Felicity, I hate to break it to you, but everyone knows. We can all smell it, no one says anything because we’re afraid of the Captain’s wrath.”

 

“Oh.” She said.

 

To Oliver, she looked baffled.

 

“I guess your coffee secret isn’t much of a secret huh?” Oliver chimed in, meeting her blue eyes.

 

“Let’s just hope I’m better at keeping the felonies I’ve committed a secret then.” Felicity remarked, laughter shining in her eyes.

 

Oliver wasn’t so sure she was better at keeping those a secret. She really could not lie.

 

“Well, the first step is to _not_ announce you’ve committed felonies in front of the whole precinct.” Diggle said drily.

 

Felicity's hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my god, I really am so bad at keeping secrets. My mouth just gets away from me. It just says what it wants, there is absolutely no filter between my brain and mouth. If I’m not embarrassing myself, I’m talking myself into prison. Good job, Felicity.” She muttered the last part.

 

Oliver had to stop himself from laughing at her, he didn’t want her to feel embarrassed. He’s pretty sure Felicity could admit to first to degree murder in front of the SCPD and Lance would find a way to make it go away.

 

“It’s fine, Felicity. No one here is gonna turn you in.” Oliver comforted her, but he couldn’t keep the amusement from his voice.

 

She scoffed. “The Captain probably would if he found out that I only buy him half-caf coffee because it’s better for his heart.” Felicity groaned and dropped her head. “Okay, that’s it. I’m leaving you both before I reveal any more deep, dark secrets.”

 

Oliver and Dig both started laughing at that. She walked away, but not before shooting them both a dirty look.

 

“You know, that’s probably why the Captain is always so grumpy. He’s getting headaches form caffeine withdrawal.” John said, then burst back into laughter.

 

Oliver quickly followed suit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say I really enjoyed writing Moira? She's such an interesting character that it made it fun getting in her headspace. Also, I swear one more chapter for this Deadshot arc and we are moving on, bc I have other stuff I want to cover and I'm ready for this arc to be tied up in a nice little bow. I was gonna try to end it this chapter but it didnt feel right and I didnt want to leave anything out. Also I hope Oliver didnt seem to OOC towards the end, but in my AU he's a little lighter. As I was editing i realized the timeline may be a little confusing too, sorry about that. I tried to make it clearer. But if not, this chapter starts during a Thursday then goes into Friday, the day of the auction. So it's still Oliver's first week, he started on Monday. I also am going to start diverging more from canon soon, but is there anything in season 1 you guys absolutely want to see? If there is just let me know in the comments!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OTA and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Auction day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, so sorry this took so long. But I got hit with some major writers block and because of it, it took forever to write. I'm not thrilled with this chapter because wow I didnt realize cohesive action scenes were so hard to write, that amongst other stuff happening made me not like this chapter too much. I got it done, and I hit the plot points I wanted too but this was a rough chapter and I hope it doesn't read like one. I've edited and scrapped and rewrote this thing like four times so hoping for the best here. I've built up to the auction so much that I hope this is a satisfying resolution. Again, sorry for the wait but at least its a long chapter. 
> 
> As always, any comments or kudo's you all are kind enough to leave are beyond appreciated. Thanks for reading!

 

 

The rest of the day until the auction passed slowly for Oliver. The whole time he felt restless, an itch under his skin to just do something. He always got that feeling (and adrenaline spike) before a mission when he was in the Army. To expel of some of the energy, Oliver spent most of that time coordinating officers in blocking off roads and getting into place around the Exchange Building, along with the surrounding buildings.

 

He followed their security plans to the letter, but only after making a few of his own changes. Oliver decided not to tell Captain Lance that part. The way he saw it, Lance didn’t listen to him before causing Lawton to get away, so he was going to do this on his own terms. His family was at risk and it was important to John, Oliver wasn’t going to let anyone screw up again.

 

The auction was to start at six pm while the actual bidding was supposed to happen at eight pm, the SCPD figured the hit was going to occur within those two hours. Oliver had made sure the Queen’s personal security was taking all precautions so the only place to get to Walter would be at the event. They had a small window to stop Lawton before he hurt someone else.

 

He had Felicity already logged in and observing the security feeds, along with monitoring the SCPD communications. As soon as the auctions guests started to arrive, she was going to be doing checks and getting situation reports from the stationed officers every ten minutes. Felicity had originally wanted to be in the mobile command unit at the Exchange Building where Captain Lance would be, but Lance forbade it. For once, Oliver agreed with Lance. He didn’t want Felicity anywhere near that building or Deadshot. So, she was going to be running communications from the station.

 

Oliver glanced at his watch, it was four-thirty, which meant he was going to grab Dig and head to the Exchange Building soon. Before he did that, he went to check in with Felicity. He made his way into her office. After a quick knock on the partially open door, he stepped in.

 

“Hey, Oliver. You about to head out?” Felicity asked, looking up from her computers at him.

 

He noticed she didn’t startle like she usually did. He hoped that meant she was more comfortable around him now.

 

Oliver nodded. “I am. Just wanted to stop by and make sure everything on your end was good to go.”

 

Felicity made a sweeping motion with hand at her computers. “All the live feeds and radio broadcasts are up and running smoothly. So far nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary.” She paused. “Well, actually a few of the officers had to kick some squatters out of one the buildings that was under construction, but this is Starling City so maybe that is ordinary. Which is terrible and a whole other rant about the staggering differences in income between most of the city and the top one percent.”

 

Oliver wasn’t sure how to handle that, his family was one of the top one percent in Starling.

 

After everything he’d been through overseas he no longer cared about material objects the way he did in his youth. He knew his family could do more to help this city, and it made him feel shameful that they didn’t do more, but he wasn’t sure what he should do to accomplish that either. He thought becoming a cop was his own way to help Starling, without using the Queen name. However, for the first time he was starting to wonder if he could do more working as CEO at QC. Maybe he could use that position and the resources of QC to help more than he’d be able to as a cop.

 

Doing what he was now, maybe it was too small to matter. Maybe he needed to cause change at a higher level to create a bigger effect. His work as a cop left him treating the symptoms of poverty, like crime, but if he was in a more powerful position, Oliver couldn’t help but think he could stop it from getting worse. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe he could fix all of Starlings problems, just that he could create better change with more money and more resources.

 

As much as he wanted to escape his past and the Queen name, he was starting to question if he should just embrace it and use it to his advantage.

 

Felicity winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you or the Queens or anything. I just meant that I think Starling could be better for everyone if people cared more about what was right over profits. I don’t mean to sound preachy. I’m going to get off my metaphorical soap box now and stop talking...” She trailed off, pressing her lips together.

 

Oliver waved her apology away. “It’s okay, Felicity. You’re not wrong, and I agree with you. But that’s a problem for another day. Today we focus on taking down Deadshot.”

 

He meant it too. Oliver wasn’t upset by what she said, he had thought the same things before.

 

He also knew today wasn’t the day for him to get too much into his own head. He needed to have his full attention on protecting his family and getting Floyd Lawton.

 

“So today we catch an international assassin, and tomorrow we try to save the save city from itself. Sounds easy enough to me.” Felicity said dryly, giving him a sarcastic smile.

 

Oliver huffed out a laugh. “Exactly.”

 

Felicity rolled her eyes playfully, before meeting his gaze and turning serious. “Really though, you two be careful. Watch out for each other, and Quentin too. I know he likes to give you a hard time, but he’s a good man and means well.”

 

Oliver gave her a small smile, and said softly, “Hey, we’ll be fine. Dig and I have been in a lot more danger than tonight and came out okay. Lance is a smart cop with good instincts. He’ll come out okay, we all have each other’s backs.”

 

“Good, because if one of you gets killed I’m gonna be pissed. Like deliver your eulogy in my Loud Voice pissed.” Felicity said, a blonde eyebrow arched decisively.

 

Oliver smirked and headed for the door, calling out, “The infamous loud voice? It’s volume alone could apparently stop a bullet from what I’ve heard from John.”

 

He easily dodged the red pen that flew towards his head after his comment, leaving her office quickly.

 

**

 

Felicity couldn’t stop bouncing her leg up and down. She was nervous. This was the first time she had led and directed the SCPD during a live mission. Usually, she just analyzes computers or footage after a crime was committed or fixes their ear pieces and radios, so the whole thing was making her freak out a little bit. It was nerve wracking trying to keep an eye on all the camera feeds while also getting reports from the officers at their designated points. This was way out of her comfort zone.

 

Peoples lives were at stake, she really could not afford to screw up.

 

She had only been at it for about fifteen minutes because it was just after six, and Felicity was certain that at the rate her leg was currently bouncing, it’d probably just fall off by the time everything was over.

 

Felicity muted her side of the comms and took a deep breath.

 

In through her nose, out through her mouth. Reaching down, she placed a hand on her thigh to force her leg to stop.

 

“You got this, Smoak. You are a bad ass. You’ve been through way more stressful situations than this and gotten through those. You are a literal genius and kick ass with computers. Use those skills now. Woman up.” She muttered to herself.

 

Unmuting her line, Felicity spoke through her head set, her voice surprisingly steady and even, “Alright guys and gals, so far nothing looks hinky on my end. Although, two of the waiters definitely just snuck into a supply closet near the banquet hall but I don’t think it was for anything murdery, most likely just some hanky panky on the job.”

 

Then she cringed. That probably wasn’t the most appropriate or professional way to say that.

 

Multiple voices laughing came through the line.

 

“ _This is Diggle. I’ll go check it out to be sure, thanks for the update._ ” He sounded amused.

 

“Knock first.” She quipped back.

 

Yet again, probably not appropriate but she cracked jokes when she was nervous. It was a defense mechanism.

 

Lances gruff voice came over the line next. “ _Alright, alright enough out of you. I only want serious chatter and updates coming through, we need to stay focused._ ”

 

“Got it. In five minutes, everyone check in again with a sit rep.” Felicity commanded.

 

She couldn’t help but grin a little at how official she sounded. As nervous as she was, the more she spoke up and controlled the situation, the more confident she felt.

 

The next hour went by without incident, and Felicity was starting to wonder if Lawton was even going to show. She observed the feeds of inside the Exchange Building and the auction, nothing seemed amiss. Felicity studied the footage of the banquet hall, she could see Oliver, Dig and Quentin in the crowd. All three of them stood in a group with Moira, Walter, and a slim brunette Felicity assumed was Thea. They were all talking, but it didn’t seem particularly friendly. Lance was standing stiffly in front of Walter, Oliver was in between Lance and John, standing opposite to his sister who was in the middle of her parents, while John was closest to Moira to complete their little circle.

 

Felicity was slightly glad Quentin had made her stay at the station, now that she was really seeing Moira for the first time since everything, even being 800 feet outside and tucked away in the mobile command center still seemed too close.

 

While she resolved herself to stop running away from her problems some time ago, she still didn’t want to even chance a face off against Moira Queen again anytime soon.

 

Felicity turned her eyes to Walter, he seemed as regal as ever, his presence still radiating the same poise and elegance it always did, even over shitty video quality.

 

Still looking at Walter’s image she called out over the comm’s for another check in. One by one the officers reported back, except for Officer Mathias who was in the building across from the auction.

 

“Officer Mathias check in, please.” Felicity said, worry growing in her gut, “I repeat, Officer Mathias, check in.”

 

Felicity watched Oliver, Diggle’s, and Quentin’s reaction on the video feed, each one tensed and became more alert.

 

“Guys, someone needs to get to Mathias position and make sure he’s okay.” Felicity instructed.

 

“ _On it._ ” Oliver and Diggle both replied. They each turned and made to move towards the exit.

 

That’s when she noticed the little red dot lighting up over Walters blue pocket square, and more importantly, his heart.

 

Felicity’s stomach jumped to her throat, no one else had seen it yet. “Lance get everyone down now! There’s a laser sight pointed at Walter!”

 

The next few seconds erupted into pure chaos, the loud crack of a shot being fired rang out over the comm’s. Lance pulled Walter to the ground, while Oliver grabbed his sister and John grabbed Moira. Felicity could only watch as more shots rang out while the six of them kept low and ran towards the door to lead them into the hallway. Felicity tracked the Queen family, Lance and her detectives as they sprinted out of the line of fire, as soon as they made into the hallway she pulled up the feeds from outside the building. Unfortunately, all she could see was the entrance and exit, along with maybe 100 feet past the doors and into the street. It wasn’t the best visual, but she’d have to work with what she had.

 

The line went quiet, the shots finally stopping.

 

“Is everyone okay?” Felicity called out frantically. “No one’s shot right?”

 

_“We’re okay, Felicity. No one got hurt. Can you see anything outside? Any sign of Lawton leaving?_ ” Oliver questioned.

 

“From what I can see out front, no, it doesn’t look like it but I don’t have a great visual.” She said, trying to calm her nerves.

 

“ _I want officers at Mathias post right now! The rest of you get to the banquet hall, secure the scene inside and out then start taking statements. Make sure no one else got hurt! Move! Now!”_ Lance shouted over the line.

 

Felicity flinched, the volume of his voice was so loud it hurt her ears.

 

“ _Captain, Oliver and I are going to Mathias post. We’re going to try to stop Lawton before he gets too far._ ” Diggle said firmly.

 

She couldn’t help but admire how steady and calm his voice was. She was pretty sure her own voice was coming out several octaves too high from stress.

 

“ _Go! Catch that son of a bitch, I don’t care how you do it.”_ Lance said, granting them permission to take him down by any means necessary.

 

Once they left the building, Felicity would be blind and wouldn’t be able to assist them except for what she could hear. She sent up a quick prayer, promising to find the closest synagogue and go to the next shabbat service if her detectives came out unscathed.

 

**

 

Oliver and Diggle raced through the Exchange Building as fast as they could, dodging scared guests the whole way. They burst through the doors leading out, before they could go further John grabbed Oliver’s arm to stop him.

 

“Mathias was on the second story of the parking garage, that’s where Lawton will be. The structure has a stair well on each end, we each take a stair case, clear it, and meet in the middle. Sound good?” Diggle said, pulling his side arm from the holster on his hip.

 

Oliver palmed the grip of his own gun, flicking the safety off. “Got it.” He turned off his comm and motioned for Dig to do the same, once Dig turned it off he asked, “How do you want to handle Lawton?”

 

Oliver knew Dig would understand what he was truly asking. John was his brother in arms and his best friend, if he said he didn’t want Lawton in handcuffs then Lawton would be leaving in a body bag. He held no reservations, Deadshot killed Diggle’s brother and tried to kill his step-father. Oliver would do anything to protect his family. He had so much blood on his hands that one more (justifiable) kill wouldn’t make him lose anymore sleep than he already was.

 

John hesitated then spoke seriously, “We’re cops and this isn’t a war zone, Oliver. We go for the arrest, not to take him out. If he gives us no choice, fine, but we try it peacefully first.”

 

Oliver nodded his assent. “Then let’s go.”

 

They ran across the street, but before they entered they shared a quick look, turned on their comms and entered their designated stair case. Oliver took the steps two at a time, his senses on full alert and his eyes taking in his surroundings carefully. He made it to the second-floor landing without encountering anyone. Oliver approached the door silently, his body angled so he couldn’t be spotted through the glass window on the door. He glanced through the window, he didn’t see Officer Mathias or Lawton.

 

“East stairs are secure. I don’t see anyone else. Dig?” Oliver spoke quietly.

 

_“I got Mathias. He’s got a head wound, but he’s breathing. Just unconscious on the landing. Exiting the stairs now.”_ Dig called back.

 

_"You both be careful. Back up is on the way, along with paramedics.”_ Felicity’s voice came through next.

 

Neither Oliver or Dig responded. He wanted Lawton handled by either himself or John, no one else. Oliver carefully opened the door and stepped out, his gun raised. The second level was full of parked cars, he didn’t have good sightlines across the lot. In front of him was a concrete half wall that opened to show the Exchange Building across the street. Lawton’s snipers nest had to be along it somewhere. Oliver kept down, keeping his steps light and jogged between the nearest two rows of cars that were closest to the half wall, so he could use them as cover if needed. He’d barely made it past the fourth car, when he heard Diggle’s voice simultaneously over the comm’s and from across the garage.

 

“SCPD! Stop and put the weapon down! You are under arrest!” John yelled out.

 

The crack of a snipers rifle sounded, followed by a thud.

 

Oliver sprinted towards the sound, his ears ringing from the echo off the concrete. Lawton came into his field of vision. He was standing over John’s body, his rifle in hand. Oliver’s stomach turned. He raised his own weapon, aiming at Lawton’s head.

 

“Put down the fucking gun before I use my own.” Oliver growled, stepping out slightly from between the cars.

 

Lawton spun around, raising his free hand but not releasing the rifle. “This your partner? He looks familiar.” He looked Oliver up and down. “So do you. We know each other somehow?”

 

Oliver didn’t say word, moving his finger to the trigger.

 

Lawton saw it and rolled his eyes. “Calm down. He’s not dead yet. It went through his shoulder, only reason he went down is the curare.”

 

Oliver gritted his teeth. He had to get John medical help, and quickly.

 

“Put down the weapon Lawton!” He ground out.

 

Deadshot looked surprised. He studied Oliver closer, like he was reevaluating him as a threat.

 

“You know my real name? How?” Lawton asked, for the first time he sounded tense.

 

_“Because I’m a genius and you’re not as sneaky as you think, you asshole! Oliver, back up is four minutes away. Keep him talking.”_ Felicity’s voice came over the comm.

 

If Oliver hadn’t had years of practice staying still and steady, he would have jumped. He almost forgot the rest of the force could hear them. More importantly, he realized that he had four minutes to decide what he wanted to do with Lawton.

 

“Doesn’t matter. We know it now, which means you can’t hide anymore. Now put down your gun. It’s over for you, Lawton.” Oliver said, his eyes daring Lawton to even breath funny.

 

A look of realization crossed over Lawton’s face. “I know why I recognized you. You’re Oliver Queen.. Play boy turned soldier. I heard stories of what happened in Hong Kong, never believed them until right now. I can see it in your eyes, you’re a killer. Just like me.”

 

Oliver clenched his jaw, and said darkly, “We are nothing alike. I’ve only killed because I had too, you do it for money. I won’t ask again, put down the fucking gun.”

 

Lawton gave him a mocking look. “Or what you’ll kill me? So much for not being a killer, huh?” In a blink of an eye, Deadshot raised his rifle and pulled the trigger.

 

Oliver dove behind the nearest car, out of the way of the bullet. It smashed into the drivers window, shattering the glass. He crouched behind the car, raising up enough to aim at Lawton over the hood. Lawton took cover behind a concrete support pillar. From his position, he could only see the side of Lawton’s face, the rest of him hidden behind the pillar. Oliver didn’t have a great shot.

 

“Give it up Lawton. Back up will be here any second, you’re not getting out of here. Might as well leave as a prisoner not a dead man.” Oliver yelled out from behind the car.

 

Lawton’s laugh echoed across the garage. “Trust me, I’d rather leave dead than in cuffs.”

 

He could arrange that, Oliver thought menacingly. Before he had a chance to act on that thought, he heard one of the stair case doors slam open and the thunder of heavy footsteps heading their way.

 

“Hear that? It’s over.” Oliver said, moving towards the end of the car to try and get a better visual on him.

 

“It’s not. I guess I’ll just have to take out a few cops as I escape from the SCPD again.” Oliver could see Lawton raise his rifle again, the barrel sticking out from behind the pillar. He had moved forwards slightly to aim, leaving more of his face and the side of his body open.

 

Oliver lifted his own gun, taking a deep breath. He aimed at Lawton’s shoulder that was partially revealed and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit home and Lawton cursed, his rifle dropping down but not releasing it completely. Oliver moved closer, seeing that part of the pillar closest to Lawton’s face was crumbling slightly. When Lawton tried to raise his gun again, Oliver shot the crumbling concrete, the dust and debris flying to into his face and into his eye. This time, Lawton did drop the gun, the hand on his uninjured arm flying to his eye.

 

“You son of a bitch! I can’t see!” Lawton screamed.

 

Oliver rushed forwards, reaching Lawton at the same time the other officers arrived. He kicked the rifle away, still pointing his own weapon at Lawton.

 

“Somebody cuff him!” Oliver directed.

 

An officer rushed forwards, jerking Lawton’s arms behind his back and handcuffing him. If Lawton’s groans were any indication, the cop did it roughly.

 

As soon as the cuffs clicked closed, Oliver rushed to John. Crouching next to him, Oliver raised a shaking hand to check his partners pulse. A sigh of relief escaped him. His pulse was weak, but there.

 

“Detective Queen? We can take over now.” A paramedic said, setting her bag next to John.

 

Oliver leaned away from John just enough to allow the paramedics to treat him but still be close.

 

“He needs to go to the hospital immediately. The bullet was laced with curare poison.” Oliver explained quickly.

 

The paramedic nodded at him, “We were advised ahead of time. Another rig is on it’s way right now with the cure. They’ll get here sooner than we could get him to the hospital for treatment for it.”

 

Oliver was momentarily confused, then breathed out. “Felicity.”

 

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out. As soon as I heard Mathias was down, I had Starling General send some to the scene. I figured better safe than sorry, and good thing too because one of you idiots ended up shot.” Her voice came over his comm, her tone was light, but it sounded shaky to his ears.

 

He was beyond grateful for her brilliance yet again. “Thank you, Felicity.”

 

_“Anytime.”_

 

**

 

Felicity made her way through the empty halls of the hospital. It was a little before midnight, and John had finally been cleared for visitors. After the paramedics arrived with the cure, they brought him to the hospital. Besides a through and through bullet wound to the shoulder the doctors sewed up, he was fine. No lasting damage from the curare, they just wanted him to stay the night for observation to be sure. Oliver had called, updating her on his condition while she was finishing up her own work at the station.

 

Lance was still dealing with both crime scenes and answering questions from the chief of police and the mayor. Lawton was in SCPD custody after getting treated for his own wounds, and Mathias would be okay too.

 

All in all, it turned out okay. Felicity was relieved, she was beyond glad it was over. It’d been a stressful week and she wanted to go back to her normal work schedule.

 

She reached John’s room easily, only knocking once against the doorframe before walking through the open door. John was sitting up in the hospital bed, his arm across his bare muscular chest in a sling with a bandage on his shoulder. Oliver sat in the chair next to his bed.

 

Felicity walked to the foot of his hospital bed, forcing herself to look at John’s face and not his broad chest. He may just be her friend and nothing more, but he was still very good looking. As was his partner.

 

“Felicity, hey! I hear your big brain is the reason I’m probably still alive. So, thank you.” John greeted her warmly, smiling.

 

 

Felicity matched his smile. “No need to thank me, I know you’d do the same for me. Plus, I don’t think I did much. Oliver’s the one who caught Lawton. Besides, with your body mass and muscles, the curare would take longer to kill you than an average person so you most likely could’ve made it to the hospital. If anything, you should thank your work out routine, because wow.”

 

When Oliver and Diggle both laughed, she realized what she just said.

 

“Not that I’m hitting on you! I just meant that you’re huge, I mean like large as in physique.” She added hastily. “Please ignore everything I just said. I just wanted to check in on you.”

 

Dig motioned to his shoulder, shrugging slightly then grimacing. “I’m good. A little banged up but I’ll be fine in a couple weeks. I’ve had worse.”

 

Felicity frowned at that. She knew he was a soldier, but it made her sad to think of what worse he had been through. John was a good man and her friend, she only wanted happiness for him.

 

She turned to Oliver, studying him. He was still in his suit from the auction, but his jacket was gone along with his tie, leaving him in white dress shirt. His sleeves were rolled up, with the first few buttons at his throat and down his chest undone. Even though he looked disheveled, he seemed okay. And he was just as attractive as when he was fully put together.

 

It wasn’t fair.

 

Felicity was pretty sure if she was in a gun fight, she’d look a mess and not like she stepped out of a fashion magazine the way Oliver did.

 

Clearing her mind of those thoughts, she asked, “How are you doing, Oliver? You had a rough night too.”

 

Oliver ran a hand over his face, giving her a small smile. “I’m okay. Glad we finally caught Lawton. I’m just tired.”

 

Felicity knew that feeling, she hadn’t been sleeping that well this past week for a few reasons. One of them being the whole Lawton situation. She was so ready to just crash in her bed and sleep for more than five hours. Just thinking of her bed caused her to let out a loud yawn.

 

Dig noticed and said, “It is pretty late and a Friday night, go home. Both of you.”

 

“Are you sure, man? I could stay if you want.” Oliver offered.

 

Diggle rolled his eyes playfully. “I’m sure. Carly and AJ are coming by to see me in the morning, and Lance too, so I need to get some rest. Besides, you’re an old man and if you slept in that chair, you’d complain about your back for the next week.”

 

Felicity giggled. They seriously acted like an old married couple sometimes. Oliver looked like he was going to protest but Dig spoke again.

 

“You know it’s true. Now be a gentleman and walk Felicity to her car, then go home.” He shot Oliver a smirk and a look Felicity couldn’t quite read.

 

Oliver huffed and stood. “If didn’t take bullet earlier, I’d hit you John. Call me when they release you, I’ll drive you home.” He looked at her. “You ready?”

 

Felicity nodded. “Yeah. Bye John! Call me if you need anything. And if Quentin gives you any trouble, let me know and I’ll set him straight.” She patted his foot that was covered by the blankets.

 

“I have no doubt you would. Don’t worry about me, go home and get some sleep.” John said, smiling.

 

She waved bye one last time, then left the room, Oliver said his own goodbye then followed behind her. He caught up to her quickly, thanks to his long legs, and walked besides her.

 

“I’m parked just out front in the first lot. You don’t have to walk me there, I’ll be fine.” She offered.

 

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind. I’m close to there too.” Oliver answered quietly.

 

They reached the elevator doors, but before Oliver could press the button she spoke.

 

“Oliver, are you sure you’re okay? You don’t seem as happy as you should be, we got the bad guy, you know.” Felicity said.

 

It was true, he seemed sad. He was walking with his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched a little bit, and his eyes on the floor. Felicity thought he was always kind of broody, but this was more than usual.

 

“I’m fine, Felicity.” He didn’t meet her eyes when he said it.

 

She hesitated. She didn’t want to overstep and nag him too much, but she could see he was obviously not fine. She hated when people forced her to talk about her own feelings, so she could understand him staying quiet. Another part of her wanted to help him. Both those parts of herself warred inside.

 

Finally, she settled on saying, “If you don’t want to talk about, I completely understand. I hate when people press me to talk about things I’m not ready too. Your thoughts and feelings are your own, and not my business. But if you ever do wanna talk, I’m great a listener. I know all the babbling and rambling may not make it seem that way, I am. All I’ll do is listen, if that’s what you want. So, I’m here if you wanna talk, and if you don’t wanna talk, that’s okay too. Just know I can listen if you need me to.”

 

Oliver looked up from the floor, meeting her eyes. His gaze was intense, she could see different emotions swirling through the blue, sadness, anger, and something else she didn’t recognize.

 

“I just..” He started again, clearing his throat. “You heard everything Lawton said through the comms right?”

 

She nodded, not sure where he was going with that.

 

“Everything he said, just brought up some doubts I’ve had about being a cop and… And he called me a killer. He wasn’t wrong. I am, I considered killing him. I’ve killed before, in Hong Kong..” He stopped himself. “I’d do it again if I had too... Sometimes I just feel like I’ve done so much bad in this world that nothing I do can ever make up for it.” Oliver said, he held himself stiffly, like he was unsure how she’d react to what he said.

 

Felicity had no room to judge. She’s been in some dark places herself which forced her to make some hard decisions. But she did what she had to do to survive. She wasn’t going to continue to feel guilty about it.

 

She reached forward and rested her hand on his arm. “Yes, you’ve killed before, but for your country. Whatever you did overseas, you were a soldier following orders. I can’t pretend to understand everything that happened there, or what happened in Hong Kong. But whatever happened, you did what you had to do to survive. That doesn’t make you a bad person. You said it yourself, you’d only kill again if you had too. You could’ve killed Lawton, but you didn’t. You found another way, that makes you better than Lawton will be, you’re not like him. You’re a good person, Oliver.”

 

He leaned away from her, breaking their physical contact. “You can’t know that. You have no idea the things I’ve done. I thought being a cop could help me atone for them, but maybe it doesn’t matter. It feels like its not good enough, nothing I do feels good enough. I spent so much time running from the Queen name and reputation but the only way I feel like I could do good, is with that name and those resources.”

 

 

She crossed her arms, looking up into his eyes fiercely. “No, I don’t know everything that went on or the things you’ve done. But what I do know, is that your best friend is John Diggle, who is one of the most honorable, good men I’ve ever met. A man like that wouldn’t be partners and put his life in someone’s hands he didn’t trust was deserving of it. He has faith in you. I haven’t known you long, but I’d like to think I’m good judge of character and from what I’ve seen? You are a good person. And I know because you’re asking those questions, bad people don’t think things like that. As for being a cop and a Queen, you’re both of those things. Not just one or the other. It doesn’t matter _how_ you do good, as long as you _do it_. Whether it’s a huge grand gesture, or small act of kindness, they’re both good. Just different kinds, and you have to decide for yourself what will make you feel fulfilled. If that’s not being a cop, okay, and if it is being a cop, great. Truly living is about more than just trying to 'atone' for your past, you deserve to find your happiness."

 

 

Felicity took a breath. That was a long rant and probably way too personal because they hadn’t known each other long, but she didn’t think he deserved to feel like that. From what she’d seen, he’d cared about Starling and the people in it, whether it was his family or strangers. He wouldn’t be questioning himself so much if he didn’t. That made him a good person in her book. It may be naïve for her to think so, but there was something about him that made her just know he was good. She could feel it.

 

 

Oliver stared at her for a moment, his eyes flashing some undecipherable emotion. Then his whole body relaxed, like the tension had left it.

 

“Thank you, Felicity.” He said softly, “You’re remarkable.”

 

She couldn’t quite place the look on his face, but the way he was looking at her was intense. She didn’t want to call it intimate, but that’s what it felt like. He was solely focused on her, like nothing else around them mattered. It caused her to blush, her heartbeat quickening.

 

 

“That’s the second time you’ve called me that. I’m starting to think you say that to all the girls.” Felicity joked.

 

When in doubt and things get heavy, crack a joke. It was a defense mechanism for her, if she didn’t know how to react then she tried to be funny and lighten the mood.

 

“No,” Oliver said sincerely, “Just you.”

 

“Oh.” Her voice came out higher pitched than she would’ve liked.

 

He smiled at her, his dimples popping out in his cheeks.

 

Dear God, he was going to give her a heart attack. She thought he was attractive before but looking at her the way he was with a genuine smile and dimples, stole her breath. It sent warning bells off in her head. She was in no way ready for those kinds of feelings and emotions, especially not with a Queen and not someone she worked with. The irony of that almost made her laugh.

 

He took pity on her speechlessness and said, “C’mon, let’s get you to your car so you can go home.”

 

The elevator ride and walk to her Mini Cooper were spent in a comfortable silence. She wasn’t sure what to say, and he didn’t seem eager to keep talking either so they both stayed quiet. But it wasn’t awkward. She walked to her car with Oliver in step next to her. She dug her keys out of her purse and clicked the unlock button. He opened the door for her, and she slid into the drivers seat.

 

Before he shut the door, he said, “Goodnight, Felicity. Thank you again, for everything.”

 

She knew what he left unsaid, he meant more than just helping during the Lawton case. He was thanking her for listening too.

 

She smiled at him and said truthfully, “Anytime, Oliver. I mean it.”

 

He didn’t say anything, just giving her a grateful look, then shut her door.

 

As she pulled out of the space, Felicity let out a deep breath. What a night. She couldn’t wait to go home and crash. All the adrenaline rushes left her drained. Then it hit her.

 

Felicity groaned, the sound filling her empty car.

 

“Frack. I promised I’d train with Sara in the morning.”

 

This was officially the worst week she’d had in a while.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we introduce Sara Lance!! Sara and Felicity's friendship is one of my fave's and I'm excited to explore it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone in Starling City really likes brunch. They tend to include emotional conversations and mimosas. Always gotta include the mimosas. 
> 
> Also, Sara and Felicity pass the Bechdel Test and then they don't. Sorry. :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this might actually be my favorite chapter I've written yet. I had so much fun writing it, probably because I love Sara and Felicity's interactions. I was going to post this yesterday because I had it finished but I needed to edit it and I hate editing but it's a necessary evil lol. Thank you all so much for reading and sorry for my inconsistency with posting. But I really enjoyed yalls thoughts on the last chapter, it makes me so thrilled to see what you guys think. It fuels my writers soul and by extension my fingers to type hahaha. Also these chapters keep getting longer and longer so this story is definitely gonna turn out longer then I thought.
> 
> So if you would all be so kind to leave any kudos or comments to let me know what yall are thinking so far I'd really appreciate it! Thank you all for sticking with me and this story!

 

 

Felicity loved technology. She loved her phone which she had customized and upgraded herself. What she did not love was the sound of her obnoxious alarm going off at 7:30 in the morning on a Saturday morning. She hadn’t even gotten home the night before until about one-thirty in the morning then fell asleep around two, so she maybe gotten five hours of sleep. And now, she had to go train with Sara.

 

Ugh.

 

She loved Sara too, truly. But Sara was a tough trainer and didn’t go easy on her at all, no matter the circumstances. Her philosophy was that bad guys weren’t going to go easy on Felicity either which she needed to be prepared for.

 

And Sara was right about that. Felicity knew from experience, but she also just wanted a relaxing Saturday.

 

Felicity groaned, reaching an arm out to shut off her alarm. She buried her face into her pillow, telling herself she was going to rest for just a few more minutes. As soon as she closed her eyes, a loud pounding came from the wall above her head.

 

“Wake up sleeping beauty! You know it’s sparring time! Don’t make me come over there!” Sara muffled shouting came through the wall.

 

“Move in next door to your best friend, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. You’ll be just like the friends from ‘Friends.’ Yeah, right. Maybe you should’ve stayed in your old townhouse.” Felicity mumbled to herself.

 

The last part was a lie, there’s no way she’d ever willingly return to her old home.

 

Sara kept up her pounding on the wall. The way their apartments were set up, Felicity’s bedroom wall was shared with the wall to Sara’s apartments living room.

 

And they were thin.

 

Felicity lost count how many times she had heard Nyssa and Sara yelling at each other over board games because they both hated losing and were both extremely competitive.

 

What usually followed the arguments had Felicity buying a top-rated set of noise cancelling headphones. 

 

Some things she did not need to hear.

 

After a particularly enthusiastic thump against the wall, Felicity sat up in bed.

 

“I’m up you crazy woman! I’ll meet you in the hall in fifteen!” Felicity yelled towards the wall.

 

“’Kay.” Sara’s voice came through cheerfully.

 

Seventeen minutes, a change of clothes and a large thermos of coffee later, Felicity met Sara in the hall with a gym bag slung over her shoulder.

 

“Hi, Lis. You look grumpy this morning.” Sara greeted, her eyes twinkling in her usual mischievous way.

 

“I regret ever working out with you in the first place.” Felicity said, glaring at her best friend.

 

Sara grinned. “No, you don’t. You can kick ass now, and it gave you a nice ass. So it’s a win-win.”

 

Felicity serious façade broke, finally smiling. “Okay, you’re right. By the way, I missed you and you’re never allowed to leave me again.”

 

Sara laughed. “I missed you too. But I gotta leave again soon. This last competition I placed first, so next up is the national title!”

 

Felicity squealed in excitement. Sara had always wanted to compete in MMA competitions and she was finally doing it. This was her first competition season, which she was absolutely killing. Felicity couldn’t be prouder, neither could Nyssa. Nyssa had competed previously but gave it up, Felicity wasn’t sure why. Nyssa was a private person and Felicity respected that because she was too, so she didn’t ask. Now Nyssa co-owned a gym with Sara.

 

They were both trainers there and taught MMA classes, while also offering boxing and more traditional workouts regimens. Despite the gym being on the edge of the Glades, it was extremely successful. They had clientele of both the Glades and well-off parts of Starling. Sara had insisted they only employ people who lived in the Glades, Nyssa agreed, so the gym was helpful to the community it was in as well.

 

They also hosted free self-defense classes and youth programs for MMA and boxing to the kids and women in the Glades.

 

Basically, Nyssa and Sara were both amazing, strong goddesses and Felicity loved them for it.

 

The free classes were how Felicity originally found Sara. Lance had told her about the self-defense classes, and when she went she met Sara there and they had hit it off instantly. They’ve been best friends ever since.

 

“Seriously? Sara that’s amazing! I am so happy for you.” Felicity said, her hands waving excitedly causing her to almost drop her coffee.

 

Sara reached out a hand, ready to catch her coffee if she dropped it. “Thanks, Lis. I’m pretty pumped about it. Nyssa is thrilled too. If you think I’m a tough trainer, you should see her. She’s a hard ass. She’s gonna kill me with the workouts eventually. I swear she must’ve been a secret assassin in a past life, because girl does not play around.” Despite her words, her tone was laced with adoration.

 

“Yeah and you love her for it. And you better send me the details of the next competition, so I can live stream it to watch!” Felicity said.

 

Sara gave her a hesitant look. “You didn’t do too well at the last fight you attended, you sure you wanna do that?”

 

Felicity appreciated her concern, but she had resolved herself to stop running from her issues. The last fight she went to she had a panic attack at. All the groans, yells, blood, and violence while being in close proximity to other people had not gone over well with her but that was also barely four months after everything.

 

Felicity had gotten more control over her anxiety.

 

Besides, she wouldn’t actually be there, just watching a screen. She could, no, she _would_ handle it. She had been training for a long time now and was used to seeing people spar, including all the noise it made.

 

And Felicity wanted to support her friend.

 

“It’ll be fine. I won’t be there physically, and I’ll just watch your fight. Besides I watch you and Nyssa all the time and I like that. It’s even kinda fun to watch.” Felicity said stubbornly.

 

Sara raised an eyebrow, grinning suggestively. “You like watching me and Nyssa huh? Maybe you could have more fun if you join next time. I gotta ask her but you know she thinks your cute too, so it should be no problem.”

 

Felicity’s face turned red. “Oh my god, no. I meant I watch you and Nyssa spar and it’s fine. Not for other sex things, I don’t like to watch that. And not because you’re both ladies, lady love is great, but I’m straight as an arrow and I’ve never been into watching.”

 

Sara burst into laughter.

 

That’s it. She was going to sew her mouth shut.

 

She was always saying things that made her want to change her name and move to another country.

 

After a solid minute of Felicity’s mortification and Sara’s laughter, she straightened up, wiping tears from her eyes.

 

“I know what you meant, Felicity. You’re just way too easy to mess with. I’m glad that you’re in that good of a place now and I’d love for you to watch me.” Sara smirked at that, then added. “I just want you to know that if it’s too much, I understand and I’m not mad.”

 

“I’ll be fine, really.” Felicity insisted.

 

“Okay.” Sara said. “Let’s go kick some ass now.” She locked arms with Felicity and the two made their way to the elevator at the end of the hall.

 

Felicity wasn’t sure what she did to deserve a friend as wonderful as Sara, but she was grateful. Sara had always been so easy to talk too, she never pushed too far and accepted what was said without judgement. After some concern and her initial thoughts, she’d drop the subject and not return to it unless Felicity brought it back up. It was a wonderful quality to have and it made Sara an even more wonderful friend.

 

**

 

Two hours later, Felicity was exhausted. Sara had been gone for nearly a week and a half and with the busy week Felicity had, she didn’t work out like she was supposed to.

 

And man, did Sara make her regret that.

 

Felicity was pretty sure her entire butt and back was going to be bruised from being repeatedly slammed into the training mats.

 

“I was gone for like a week, Felicity. You have to keep up your workout routine.” Sara chided, offering Felicity a hand up from where she was sprawled on the mat.

 

“Yeah, yeah I know. Constant vigilance.” Felicity said with a sardonic smile.

 

Sara ignored her sarcasm, instead saying, “Quoting Harry Potter?”

 

Felicity’s smile turned genuine and she said excitedly, “I knew you liked Harry Potter! But noooo, you had to complain when I made you watch them.”

 

Sara rolled her eyes playfully. “Still don’t like it. You forcing me to watch all the movies is the only reason I know the quote, you nerd.”

 

Felicity stuck her tongue out. “Alright, well you obviously have no taste in the fine arts. And you’ve definitely beat me up enough for a Saturday morning. Let’s go get some breakfast.” She said pleadingly.

 

Sara rolled her eyes, “Harry Potter isn’t the fine arts, goofball. But deal. Let’s shower and change into something less sweaty.” She said.

 

Felicity chose to ignore the Harry Potter comment because it would start a debate between them and she was way too sore to fight Sara again. She changed topics onto something she knew would distract Sara.

 

“Should we invite Nyssa too?” Felicity asked.

 

Sara shrugged. “She’s been here since six this morning, working out and whipping that Harper kid into shape. I think Nyssa enjoys terrorizing him.”

 

Felicity laughed. “Well when I met him he was a terror, so he deserves it. I’m just glad he actually listened to me and came here.”

 

When Felicity first met Roy Harper three months ago, he was in cuffs at Dig’s desk. He allegedly (definitely) stole a car. Roy was dumb enough to be caught on camera and Felicity was bringing the video to Dig at his desk to show him. She found Roy sitting there, Dig had gone to grab some paperwork, and they started talking.

 

Well, she talked, while Roy mostly made smart ass comments.

 

But what she got from those smartass comments was that he was just a misguided, angry kid who was stuck in life and felt he couldn’t move on or become anything better because he lived in the Glades.

 

As the genius daughter of a cocktail waitress who grew up in the seedy part of Las Vegas, she could relate. Growing up in Vegas, she learned to count cards at young age and had used that knowledge at quite a few casinos to help pay the bills. She understood the necessity of doing not so legal things in order to eat. Also, as much as she wanted to forget her goth phase and all the hacktivist stuff in college, she couldn’t. She got a second chance at MIT, and she could help someone else get one too.

 

So before Dig came back, she degraded the quality of the video where nothing could be made out and showed John. She blamed the shitty security cameras and John didn’t question it. Since that was the only concrete proof, Roy was released.

 

Unsurprisingly, he was pissed at her because he said he wasn’t a ‘charity case.’ Felicity set him straight on that one. She didn’t break the law for him for nothing, and she told him he was going to work at Nyssa and Sara’s gym, train to channel his anger, graduate high school and make something of himself. If he didn’t do all those things she was going to find some other concrete evidence of him breaking the law (he was a repeat offender she knew she’d find something) and turn it in.

 

He responded well to the black mail and did as Felicity asked.

 

Nyssa and Sara were fine with it. They had already adopted their own misfit, in Cindy aka Sin, another troubled Glades teen. Turns out, Sin and Roy knew each other already and became closer friends through working together.

 

Nyssa was especially enjoying getting back at Roy for his sharp tongue with manual labor and harsh workouts.

 

“I’ll go find Nyssa and ask anyways, then we’ll meet in the front in like twenty. Sound good?” Sara questioned.

 

With a thumbs up in agreement, Felicity headed to the locker rooms to shower and change.

 

Sara had her own private showers and bathroom in her office. The gym itself used to be an old warehouse, so there were multiple large open rooms where they placed the different workout equipment. Nyssa and Sara shared the single office upstairs that overlooked the main part of the gym. The main part held the octagon where the MMA style fighters trained, along with several weight benches, punching bags, and training dummies. Another room held the boxing ring and had a similar set up. Basically, each room in the gym had the equipment for the different styles of fighting and workouts.

 

A shower and change of clothes later she went to meet Sara at the front desk where Sin was reading a magazine instead of working. Sara was already there with an unimpressed look on her face.

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be doing something? I am your boss you know.” Sara asked Sin.

 

“The phone isn’t ringing, and the only people insane enough to be here this early on a Saturday morning are you, your girlfriend and Felicity. So no, there’s nothing else to do.” Sin snarked.

 

“Roy’s here too.” Felicity pointed out.

 

“Yeah, but he doesn’t count.” Sin said with a shrug of her shoulders.

 

Sara laughed. “I’ll let him know how much you care about him, when I see him next.” She turned to Felicity. “Nyssa didn’t want to go with us, she’s having too much fun torturing Roy.”

 

It was Felicity’s turn to laugh. “What’s she making him do?”

 

“Last I checked, it was mediation followed by lots of cardio.” Sara grinned.

 

Felicity winced in sympathy, both of those things sucked. “Poor Roy.”

 

“He’ll get over it. Now I want a mimosa. Let’s go.”

 

Felicity didn’t need to be told twice, she followed Sara to her Mini Cooper that they rode to the gym together in.

 

They reached a cute little brunch spot that was on the outskirts of the nicer part of Starling, not quite the Glades but not super fancy and expensive either. It was their go-to brunch spot typically, because they could show up right after working out in comfy clothes with wet hair and no one looked at them funny.

 

The café staff seated them quickly at a table in the corner. Felicity took the seat that placed her back to the wall and Sara sat in front of her.

 

“Definitely getting strawberry stuffed French toast and a mimosa.” Felicity said in a matter of fact tone.

 

Sara snorted. “You get that every time. Why don’t you try something else?”

 

“Because no need to fix what isn’t broke. It’s delicious and I love it so why try anything else?”

 

“Live a little, Smoak.”

 

“I’m getting a mimosa.” Felicity pointed out.

 

“True. You’re also driving so don’t live too much.”

 

“Hilarious. I’m just gonna have the one.”

 

“Since I’m not driving, I’m gonna have them all.” Sara said, winking at her.

 

Felicity balled up a napkin and threw it at Sara’s face. It missed. “You better make it up to me then. We haven’t gotten drunk together in a while. I miss our tequila and karaoke nights.”

 

“I know, but we’ve both been busy. How’s work been? And Dad? He’s been more stressed than usual over the phone and I haven’t had the chance to see him yet.” Sara said, frowning a little.

 

“Quentin’s fine.” Felicity said quickly, “I’ve been force feeding him spinach and egg whites, and I even switched out his coffee to half-caf without him noticing. So his heart is in good hands with the two of us.”

 

Sara gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Felicity. It means a lot you care so much about him. I really appreciate all your help with his health, Laurel barely comes around and trying to do it all by myself gets exhausting.”

 

Felicity sent her a small smile. “You don’t have to thank me, I love you and I love Quentin. You guys have done so much for me that it’s the least I could do.”

 

“I love you too, and so does Dad, that’s why we do what we do.” Sara said nothing but honesty in her voice and face.

 

Felicity felt a warmth grow in her chest, and her eyes watered. Sara noticed her watery eyes, picking up her menu and pointing it at Felicity threateningly.

 

“Don’t start with tears. We all love each other and that’s nothing to cry about.” She said.

 

Felicity let out a tiny laugh. “That is something to cry about, happy crying at least. I’ve only ever had my mom, so to have people who aren’t her say they love me unconditionally… I’ve never really had that.”

 

Sara gave her a determined look, her eyes resolute. “Well you have it now and it’s not going anywhere.”

 

Felicity cleared her throat, bringing a napkin up to nonchalantly wipe her eyes. Sara knew that was Felicity signaling the end of the conversation, so she dropped it, picking up her menu and scanning over it.

 

Felicity changed topics to something less heavy.

 

“So, work has been crazy,” She paused for dramatic effect, “We just caught an international assassin.”

 

Sara put down the menu she was skimming over. “No way.”

 

“Yes way. His bad guy name was Deadshot and he killed people with poison bullets.”

 

“Damn, girl. I can’t believe I thought your job was boring before.” Sara said, a teasing glint in her eyes.

 

“Hey! I take offense to that. Computers are fun. But yeah, it was crazy. He was targeting the Exchange Building and he shot John while trying to get away, but Oliver managed to

take him down. Alive, thankfully.” Felicity said, relieved.

 

Sara blinked. “Holy shit. Is John okay? And hold up, Oliver? As in Queen?”

 

Before Felicity could answer, their waiter came by to take their orders. The whole time Sara looked bewildered. As soon as the waiter walked away, Felicity spoke again.

 

“Yeah, John is just fine. It was a through and through in shoulder. A few weeks of R&R and a sling, no lasting damage.” She answered, avoiding the Oliver subject.

 

“That’s good. I’m glad he wasn’t seriously hurt. The few times I’ve met John he seemed like a good guy. But you didn’t answer the second part. Oliver Queen?” Sara asked again.

 

Felicity spoke in a rush of words, “Okay so your dad hired Oliver Queen as a Detective, because John recommended him and I thought your dad would’ve told you but I see now that he hasn’t, and we’ve been working together and he seems like a really decent guy and is good at his job and I am so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner I just didn’t want to you get psyched out or anything with your fight and I’ve been so busy and-“

 

“Felicity!” Sara cut her off. “It’s okay, I’m not mad, just surprised. Well not surprised Dad wouldn’t tell me, but surprised that Ollie’s a cop now. I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

 

Felicity nodded enthusiastically. “He’s a good cop too. Oliver seems like a different man than the stories you’ve told me about him… And I.. I just don’t think he’s ‘Ollie’ anymore. With what he probably went through overseas, I don’t see how he could be.” She said the last part quietly.

 

Sara reached forwards and squeezed Felicity’s hand. “Hey now, you and I both know that trauma can change a person, but it doesn’t define them. If you think he’s changed then I have no doubt that he’s become better. I think that’s a good thing.”

 

Felicity squeezed back, silently appreciating her words of comfort. “I’m glad you’re not mad. I didn’t want to hide anything or hurt your feelings, I know what went down when you were all younger.”

 

Sara winced, tightening her grip on Felicity’s hand. “I still regret all of that, but it happened, and I can’t change it, as much as I wish I could. Laurel still barely speaks to me and she’s mad at Dad for still talking to me. She probably already knows Ollie is cop which is just one more thing to pissed at our Dad about… I’m sure she expected him to clear it with her first or something.” She scoffed.

 

Felicity tried not to roll her eyes. She had some thoughts about Laurel Lance, but Sara was Laurel’s sister and it wasn’t her place to say anything.

 

“Yeah well you were young and dumb. Everyone is at that age. You slept with the wrong guy and I dyed my hair black, turned goth and hacked into the Department of Education. We all make mistakes.”

 

Sara stared at her in shock, then burst out laughing and grabbed her sides. “Thank you, ‘Lis. That makes me feel better.”

 

Felicity grinned in response.

 

“Hang on, does Ollie know about Laurel and Tommy being together?” Sara asked, slightly short of breath.

 

“Seriously what is with you people? The Queens, Merlyn’s and Lance’s are like some big Shakespearean play. I have no idea if he knows, but I’m not gonna tell him.” Felicity said in exasperation.

 

“We really are. A tragedy mostly. But I’m not either so I guess he’ll find out on his own.” Sara agreed.

 

Their Oliver conversation was cut short by their food arriving.

 

“Screw men, no man could satisfy me the way this French toast does.” Felicity said around her mouthful of delicious sugary goodness.

 

Sara grinned at her, the telltale glimmer of her about to say something raunchy lighting up her eyes, “Why do you think I only date girls now?”

 

**

 

Oliver was up at six am on Saturday morning. He wasn’t able to sleep in anymore, a combination of rigorous military training and nightmares prevented it. He worked out in his apartment’s gym for a couple hours to pass the time. He liked working out there so early in the moring because no one else was around. When his body started to protest the punishing regimen he subjected it too, he decided to go back to his apartment.

 

He usually he spent his weekends doing whatever he could to keep himself (and his mind) busy but since Diggle was still in the hospital he couldn’t hang out with him and Oliver had already fixed everything in his apartment that needed to be fixed. His time as handy man doing odd jobs after he was discharged had him find an appreciation of working with his hands. He enjoyed it, and he was good at it.

 

He didn’t have anything to do besides sit on the couch and watch TV while waiting for John’s call to pick him up from the hospital.

 

Oliver was considering heading into the precinct to start on the Lawton arrest paperwork and scene report when the shrill ring from his cell phone cut through his thoughts. A glance at the caller ID showed his Mom’s picture, for a moment he debated on ignoring it.

 

With a sigh, he answered the phone. “Hey, Mom.”

 

“ _Hello son, I’m glad to see your awake at such an hour. I had assumed I’d get your voicemail.”_

 

Oliver resisted the urge to hang up the phone, his mother still acted like he was the same party boy idiot from five years ago. It was already almost ten in the morning. Most adults are awake at that time.

 

“No, mother. I’m awake and have been.” Oliver said, letting his irritation show in his voice. “What were you calling for?”

 

“ _I wanted to invite you for an early lunch at the mansion today. We had a tough night, with the attempts on Walter, and being shot at, I thought it would be nice to have some family time. Thea was a little shaken and it would do her some good to see her big brother. Tommy is joining us as well.”_

 

He wanted to say no, but he knew he shouldn’t. As much as he hated the mansion he loved his little sister and if she needed him then he’d be there. He also hadn’t seen Tommy in awhile and it would be nice to see his childhood friend.

 

“Okay, I’ll be there. I may be late though, I have to pick John up from the hospital.” He said, already planning on being very late and using John as his excuse.

 

“ _Please give him my best wishes. I look forward to seeing you, however late you may be.”_ His mother said that with some snark. _“See you soon, I love you.”_

 

He said his goodbyes and hung up the phone. Oliver called John next.

 

“ _Man, you do know I’m supposed to be resting right? I did get shot._ ” John answered without preamble.

 

“It was a flesh wound, suck it up.” He teased. “But my mother just invited me to family lunch, so I was calling to see when you needed to me to pick you up.”

 

John chuckled over the line. “ _Oh no, you’re not gonna use me as an excuse. I’ll have Carly take me home, you go spend time with your family.”_

 

“C’mon man, help me out here. If I pick you up I have less time to spend at the mansion.” Oliver said, a whine in his voice.

 

_“Glad to know our friendship is just a convenient excuse for you. So sorry Oliver, but no. Go see your family, it’ll be good for you.”_ John said without sympathy.

 

“Alright fine.” Oliver said, then added seriously, “Really though, if you need me or if Carly can’t just call me.”

 

_“I know. Thanks, partner. Talk to you soon.”_ John said his goodbye then hung up.

 

Oliver ran a hand over his face. He was not looking forward to lunch.

 

**

 

About an hour and half later, Oliver pulled into the Queen mansion. He chose to ride his motorcycle. He originally bought when he first came back, it was a hunk of junk, but Oliver spent a lot of time fixing it up and now it ran perfectly. As he put down the kickstand, he noticed Tommy’s brand new Mercedes parked in the driveway.

 

Before Oliver knocked at the front, he readied himself for the next couple hours of passive aggressive comments and Queen family drama. Letting out a sigh, he rapped his knuckles against the door. It opened almost immediately.

 

“Mister Oliver, this is your home. You do not have to knock, silly boy.” Raissa greeted him, a warm smile on her face.

 

He tried to smile back saying, “This hasn’t been home in a long time Raissa. And I have my own place now.”

 

Raissa gave him a motherly look. “Yes, yes but you must not be eating as you should. Look at you, to keep strong, you need lots of food. You need some of my cooking.”

 

Oliver huffed a laugh. Raissa was always trying to feed him. He definitely wasn’t missing meals but he did miss her cooking.

 

“I do miss your cooking, Raissa.” He said, then whispered conspiratorially, “Only reason I came to this lunch was for your wonderful food.”

 

Raissa blushed then ushered him inside. “Hush, Mr. Oliver. Mrs. Queen was so happy you were joining them today. They are in the sun room, waiting on you.”

 

“Thank you, Raissa.” Oliver said, making his way to the sun room.

 

When he entered, he was taken aback. Standing next to Tommy was Laurel Lance, his ex-girlfriend and woman he cheated on multiple times. Tommy looked sheepish and a little guilty, while Laurel had a look on her face that was borderline contempt. Thea noticed Oliver’s surprise and sent him a smirk.

 

“Guess no ones told you yet, huh big brother? Tommy and Laurel here are together. Mom and Tommy thought that now would be the best time to tell you since you run away from any room we’re in.” Thea said, her voice sugary sweet and her arms crossed.

 

Oliver ignored the insult, instead focusing on the first part. He had no idea that Tommy and Laurel were together. He hadn’t kept in touch with Laurel at all in his time overseas, or since he’d been back. Oliver had kept in touch with Tommy some while he was away, but he’d barely seen him either since returning to Starling. Oliver had been busy with the SCPD and avoiding Queen family events.

 

“Listen man,” Tommy started, sounding hesitant, “I meant to tell you sooner, but I always chickened out or it was the wrong time. I’m sorry for just springing this on you, but I love Laurel. We’ve been together about a year now.”

 

Oliver didn’t care that they were together. He had no feelings for Laurel anymore. That ship, no pun intended, had sunk the night the Gambit went down with his father on it. Oliver was supposed to be on it too, with Sara, but Laurel found the texts on his phone about going with her sister and they had started fighting. By the time Oliver had convinced Laurel not to leave him, the Gambit had sailed.

 

Soon after they got the news of it sinking and Roberts death. Oliver felt so horrible about everything, from not being on the ship with his father, to then being relieved he wasn’t and feeling guilty about that too, and he also had the realization that he would have condemned Sara to death along with himself and his father.

 

So, he enlisted, broke it off with Laurel and never looked back.

 

Finally, Oliver spoke up. “There’s no need to apologize. I’m just glad the both of you found happiness. I never treated Laurel the way she deserved, and I know you will. I’m truly sorry for everything. I’m not that person anymore.” He directed the last part to Laurel, who was standing stiffly next to Tommy.

 

Tommy looked relieved while Laurel’s expression never wavered from it’s previous borderline contempt.

 

“I’m so glad to finally tell you buddy. It sucks keeping secrets from my best friend.” Tommy said, then pulled Oliver into a hug.

 

Oliver tensed, patting Tommy’s back uneasily. He wasn’t so sure that Tommy was his best friend anymore and it was because of the secrets Oliver kept and the experiences he’d had. Tommy would never understand why he was the way he was now, not in the way John did. They were both soldiers with shared experiences, that went way beyond the bond of two idiotic rich boys who partied together in their misguided youth.

 

“My, how refreshing it is to see you too together again. It reminds me of when you were children lying about who broke the Ming vase in the hallway.” His mother said fondly.

 

Oliver pulled away from Tommy, who had plastered an innocent look on his face.

 

“I still maintain that Speedy broke that vase, Mrs. Queen.” Tommy said, a charming smile falling into place.

 

“Hey! I did not.” Thea protested.

 

Walter and his mother laughed.

 

“Tommy, that might’ve worked if Thea had been old enough to walk without assistance.” Moira chided gently.

 

Oliver ruffled Thea’s hair, “I don’t know. We all know how resourceful Speedy is. If anyone could of done it, it’d be her.” He teased.

 

Thea slapped his hand away and stuck out her tongue.

 

“Come now.” Walter said placatingly, “I believe our lunch is to be served shortly.”

 

Throughout their entire exchange, Laurel had remained silent. At Walters guidance they all sat at the small rectangular table in the sun room. As soon as the last person sat, the doors opened, and the staff came in, placing the different food on the table. A waiter handed out flutes of mimosa’s to each of them, including Thea. Oliver raised an eyebrow at that. She was only seventeen.

 

“Don’t give me the judgey face Ollie. You did a lot worse than have a mimosa with breakfast at my age.” Thea said sharply.

 

“Exactly. I don’t want you to follow in my footsteps, Speedy.” He said, trying to sound casual.

 

“Trust me, I’m not peeing on a cop anytime soon.” Thea scoffed and looked towards their mother, “Can you please tell him to stop trying to act like my father?”

 

His mother raised a hand, dismissing the staff from the room. As soon as the last of the wait staff left the room, he spoke again.

 

“Thea-,“ He started but his mom cut him off.

 

“Oliver, let it go please. Thea is allowed to partake in small amounts of alcohol around family.” Her voice left no room for argument.

 

“Yeah man, we both drank a lot harder stuff than mimosa’s at her age. Remember when we stole your fathers scotch and went to school drunk?” Tommy said, he seemed to be trying to lighten the mood but all it did was piss Oliver off.

 

“I do, and we both got alcohol poisoning and had to get our stomachs pumped. We also almost got expelled.” He said anger coating his voice.

 

He knows he was a dumb kid. That’s why he was trying to make sure Thea didn’t repeat his mistakes. It took him the death of his father and the military to change, he didn’t want that for his little sister. He wanted her to be better.

 

It may seem like he was overreacting about the alcohol but since he’d been back he’d heard stories about his sister. He knew she liked to party hard, just as he used too. He wanted more for her than that, and his mother wasn’t going to parent her, just like she had never parented him growing up.

 

Somebody had to hold her accountable before she did something she couldn’t come back from.

 

“I’m getting sick of you trying to judge me, Ollie. You’re never around and when you are all you do is make comments and insinuate I’m a terrible person.” Thea said, raising her voice, “I’m a hell of a lot more put together than you ever were at my age, and you didn’t have to deal with a dead father and absentee sibling, I did. And still do. By the way, I’m doing fine, as always. Not that you care enough to ask, you only care about criticizing my life choices.” The bitterness with which she spoke made Oliver’s chest twist.

 

He never wanted to hurt her by leaving, but that’s what ended up happening. He just hadn’t realized how much he had hurt her.

 

Oliver had to leave for his own sanity and he didn’t think she would understand that.

 

To her, he had left her alone after their father died because she thought he didn’t care enough to stay, she had every right to be mad at him. He wasn’t there for her like he should have been.

 

“I’m sorry, Thea. I never meant to hurt your feelings or be so absent in your life. I’m not doing it on purpose, and I am sorry if it seems that way. I just want the best for you, because you’re my baby sister and I love you.” Oliver said truthfully, guilt lacing his voice. Then he added, “And I would really like to see you more often, no judging. I promise.”

 

Thea’s eyes softened but her tone was strict in a way that reminded him of their mother. “Apology only somewhat accepted. It’s nice to hear but words mean nothing. You have to make the effort to see me too, Ollie, it’s not just on me.”

 

“Deal.” Oliver said, reaching across the table to squeeze Thea’s hand.

 

“So, now that we’re passed the awkward family drama and yelling at each other stage of brunch, can we eat now? My bacon’s getting cold.” Tommy joked, and this time it had it’s intended effect.

 

It lightened the atmosphere, and everyone turned their attention to the food. The rest of brunch went peacefully, filled with light hearted talk and no more arguments. After eating, Oliver decided to start making good on his promise to spend more time with Thea, so they sat in the living room watching TV. They were both on the couch, Theas legs thrown into his lap while Tommy and Laurel sat opposite of them on the other couch. His mother and Walter had both retired to their separate offices to work. He wasn’t sure what work his mother had to do since she didn’t exactly have a job, but he figured it was something to do with planning a charity gala or brainstorming good PR for the Queen family and QC.

 

The show they were all watching ended, and the news came on. The headline across the TV was about a man named Peter Declan who murdered his wife. Declan was apparently set to be executed in a few days.

 

“That guy is such a psycho. He killed his wife in their baby’s room.” Thea commented, her disgust evident.

 

“I’m not sure about that, Thea. He’s trying to appeal the conviction and get a stay of execution, he reached out to CNRI because he needed free legal counsel. I’ve met with him, and it looks like Declan might be innocent.” Laurel said, it was the first time she had spoken all night without being addressed first.

 

Oliver looked at her in surprise. He hadn’t ever even heard of Peter Declan. But he knew Laurel and he knew she would never let someone she thought had even a chance of being innocent be executed without doing everything she could.

 

Tommy nudged Laurel playfully, “You’re so hot when you get all lawyer-y and intense.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

 

Laurel ignored him and turned to Oliver, “I’d ask my dad but with him being a Capitan now, I don’t want to put him in a bad position, do you think that you could get me Declan’s old case files and police reports about Camille Declan’s murder?” She asked.

 

Of course. It made sense now. Laurel came to lunch to get information from him, not support Tommy when he told Oliver about their new relationship. He should’ve guessed. Laurel wouldn’t willingly be in the same room for him without it benefitting her in some way. By the look on Tommy’s face, he had reached the same conclusion.

 

Plus, Oliver didn’t want to piss anyone else off at the SCPD. Lance already hated him and being a new cop there while also being Oliver Queen was enough to make the other officer’s distrust him. He gained some respect after the Lawton case and he didn’t want to lose it by shining lights into old case files and insinuating wrongful arrests. It was obviously a hail Mary by Laurel because if she was asking him, she couldn’t get enough evidence for a subpoena of all the records.

 

Oliver sighed, “I haven’t been at the SCPD long enough to start digging around in other Detectives old cases. I’ve ruffled enough feathers there, your dad’s included, just by being Oliver Queen. I don’t want to ruffle anymore.”

 

Laurel glared at him, “Ollie, you owe me. For all the crap I went through with you, I’m calling in a favor.”

 

Tommy looked uncomfortable at the mention of their past relationship, while Thea was openly giving Laurel a dirty look.

 

Oliver didn’t need to be reminded of that, he still felt guilty about all of it. Enough so that he was considering granting her this favor. His hand laid against the couch cushion, and unconsciously he started to rub his index finger and thumb together slowly.

 

“Fine.” Oliver said, begrudgingly. “Come by the station on Monday and I’ll have them for you.”

 

Laurel had a smug, pleased look on her face. “I’ll be there.”

 

“You could at least say ‘Thank you’ to Ollie, Laurel. He is doing something that could piss off his co-workers,” Thea snarked, adding, “who carry guns.”

 

“Thanks.” Laurel said shortly.

 

Oliver acknowledged it with a brief nod.

 

He knew he should’ve just made up an excuse not to come to brunch.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely love Sara, she cracks me up. And Roy Harper was not supposed to appear this early on but the thought struck me and the idea of how they meet in my AU was so good to me I couldn't wait. Laurel also wasnt supposed to have a real part in the story but I decided to give her a small storyline to show the finality of her and Olivers relationship. I've never found her character very likeable and it makes sense to me that she wouldnt forgive Sara for the whole cheating thing if Sara never 'died' and came back. But she's a tenacious lawyer and rewatching 1x4 gave me the ideas for this next arc. So stay tuned!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver get a taste of what it'd be like to be in an Mean Girls AU instead of my Arrow AU. They both don't like it. Sorry Olicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. So I absolutely loved everyones thoughts on the last chapter so thank you so much for them!! I was so excited to read through them and I absolutely appreciate everyone taking the time to comment!  
> This chapter is a lot shorter than the past two (this is around 3500 words) and I'm sorry about that but I thought I'd have more time to write last week because I was supposed to have two days off work but then I got called in on both of those days and ended up working 6 out of 7 days, so I didnt have a lot of time to write. It was either delay this chapter a few days to make it longer or post it today like I had originally planned, just a little shorter, so I went with today so I could at least update. As a consolation this chapter has lots of Olicity lol. But dont worry I wont be skipping over anything or leave anything out, the next chapter will probably just have to be a lot longer or I'll have to extend how many chapters dedicated to this arc. So thank you all for your patience (and for reading this long ass authors note) just try and bear with me a little while I try and find more time to write. (:
> 
> As always, I love hearing yalls thoughts and opinions on the chapters so if you'd like to share them please comment or kudo and I'd be forever grateful!! (:

 

 

Monday morning came too quickly for Oliver. After Laurel effectively guilt tripped him into giving her the files, he left. He didn’t want to be around her any longer and he had had his fill of drama for the weekend.

 

Since he reached his drama limit, Oliver spent Sunday at John’s apartment drinking beer and watching ESPN. John had refused pain medication, so he was free to drink as he pleased. Oliver had enjoyed having such normal day. He hadn’t had one in a long time. Originally, he was going to head into the precinct to start his reports for the Lawton case, but John called and asked him to come over, probably because he knew what Oliver was planning to do.

 

Now, Oliver wished he could have a beer.

 

Writing all up all the reports was beyond dull. He had always hated paperwork.

 

There was a reason he got kicked out of four different Ivy league schools. Well there were actually a few, but mostly it was his dislike of writing papers. While police reports weren’t exactly the same thing, they were close enough. He was just finishing writing what went happened in the parking garage when his computer screen flickered once, then went black.

 

“No no no no, don’t do this.” Oliver muttered under his breath.

 

He gave the computer screen a sharp smack to the side. Nothing happened. He groaned. Then he remembered a certain blonde IT girl in an office not too far from him. He stood quickly and made his way to her office.

 

“Felicity, I need your help.” He said without preamble, walking through the open door.

 

She didn’t startle this time, just glanced up at him from behind her computer screens, unimpressed.        

 

“Please.” She said, raising a blonde eyebrow and tilting her head, her curly ponytail swinging behind her.

 

“What?”

 

“Felicity, I need your help _please._ ” She stated deepening her voice to mimic his and emphasizing the last word.

 

He huffed a laugh, then rephrased. “Felicity, I need your help _please_.”

 

She lost her stubborn demeanor, smiling brightly at him. “Well you should of just said so. What can I help you with Oliver?”

 

“I was working on a report and my screen went black. I couldn’t fix it. I was hoping you could.” He said, a pleading lilt to his voice.

 

“There’s not a computer yet that I haven’t been able to fix. I’ve been building them since I was seven and in this job there’s nothing ever too complex to solve. Most the computer issues here are user error. So many viruses and malware. For being cops, you’re all pretty gullible. I mean honestly, who clicks a link in an email because it says you won an all expense paid trip to Hawaii? That doesn’t happen in real life, like ever.” She rambled, her hands moving at the speed of her words.

 

It was adorable. She was so free with her thoughts and opinions, he admired it. It was refreshing to be around someone so honest.

 

“Don’t worry, I didn’t click on any links or sponsor any Princes from a foreign country. So, I’m not sure what happened.” Oliver said, trying to fight a grin.

 

Felicity blushed, fidgeting in her chair. “Oh. Sorry, I get a little carried away talking about computers and people mistreating them. They’re like my babies.”

 

He decided not to tell her his attempt to fix it was a manual reboot (aka hitting it).

 

She stood from her chair, grabbing a tablet from the corner of the desk.

 

She waved a hand in front of her, the other holding the tablet close to her chest. “Lead the way. Let’s go save your computer and hopefully your report.”

 

He heeded her instructions, leading her to his desk. She followed a step behind him the whole way, but as soon as they arrived at his desk she stepped in front of him, standing instead of sitting in his desk chair. Oliver was struck by how small she seemed, her head barely clearing the center of his chest. He’d stood next to her before, her height typically reaching around the height of his shoulder. Oliver took her in while she was busying herself with his computer. He tried (and failed) to hold back an amused smile when he realized why she seemed so short. She was wearing flats instead of her usual high heels, but in typical Felicity fashion they were as unique as she was, with panda faces decorating the tips.

 

“I like your shoes.” Oliver said because he couldn’t help himself.

 

She glanced over her shoulder, a grin gracing her bright pink lips. “Thank you. I love them too, they’re so cute.”

 

“Yeah.” He agreed.

 

The shoes weren’t the only thing he thought was cute. When she spoke again, he realized he had been staring at her. Oliver looked away quickly, so she didn’t catch him.

 

“Everything’s okay, program wise. But I think the power cord to the monitor isn’t working.” Felicity said, fiddling with back of the monitor then she pulled his chair out and crawled under the desk.

 

She was on her hands and knees, the bottom half of her body sticking out from under the desk.

 

“Uh, Felicity, what’re you doing?” He asked, carefully keeping his eyes on the desk and nothing else.

 

“I’m checking the cord to see if I need to replace it.” She said, her voice muffled from being under the desk.

 

“Do you want me to do that? The floors probably not very clean and you’re in a skirt.” Oliver offered. He meant it, he would do it if she asked.

 

The SCPD office space wasn’t exactly pristine and the floors were hard, he didn’t want to her to hurt her knees. He thought he heard her snort.

 

“No offense Oliver, but I’ve seen you with technology, I don’t think you know the difference between a power cable and an ethernet cable.” She sounded amused.

 

“I could figure it out or you could tell me which one.” He tried again, not denying her statement.

 

“Very gentlemanly of you but I can do it. I’m already down here now. Plus, I used be on my knees in a skirt all the time when I was at QC.”

Oliver blinked.

 

Felicity must of realized what she said because she rushed to add, “I mean that professionally. Nothing else. I was just an IT gremlin before I was promoted so I did a lot of computer set ups under desks while in skirt, not anything else inappropriate. Ignore everything that comes out of my mouth.”

 

Oliver did as she asked and ignored her verbal gaffe. As funny as it was, he didn’t want to add on to her embarrassment by laughing or saying anything. And he needed to ignore the images her accidental innuendo caused that popped in his head. They both went quiet, her focusing on what she was doing and him leaning against the corner of the desk, his eyes on anything but her, in an effort to not stare at the parts of her that were poking out.

 

Until he noticed a uniformed officer sitting a few desks away doing exactly what Oliver was avoiding. The officer was leering at Felicity’s pencil skirt encased bottom and thighs. Oliver stepped to the side, blocking her from view and glaring daggers at him. Oliver caught his eye and crossed his arms threateningly. The man got the point, looking away as fast as he could.

 

“Aha! Gotcha.” Felicity said triumphantly. She crawled out from under the desk and went to stand gripping a black cord.

 

Taking his eyes off the uniformed officer, he offered her his hand which she took with a playful roll of her eyes.

 

She gestured to the fraying black cord. “So, it was definitely the cable. The insulation is peeling off and there’s damage to the wiring, but I should have an extra in my office. I’m gonna go grab it real quick and then you’ll be all set.”

 

“Okay, do you want me to walk you back?” Oliver said, glancing towards the man who was leering at her previously.

 

Felicity gave him a confused look. “Uh, no? My office is right there, I’ll be just a second.”

 

Her office was in the pathway of the creepy cop and he didn’t want her to walk past him, even if she wouldn’t know what the man would be thinking, Oliver would, and it bothered him. She gave him another curious look before heading to her office. He kept his focus on the man who must have felt the weight of Oliver’s glare because he didn’t look up a single time as she passed.

 

Felicity returned quickly with a smile and newer looking power cord in her hand.

 

“I knew I had one. You’ll be all set as soon as I get it plugged in.” She said, attaching one end to the back of the monitor and feeding the other through the hole in the middle of his desk where the rest of his cords passed through.

 

She assumed the same position from before, as did Oliver. This time he stood to where he blocked her from view right off the bat, keeping his gaze on the ceiling. Because he was looking up, he didn’t see Laurel approach.

 

“Hello, Ollie.” Laurel said coolly. Her tone was polite, more formal than friendly.

 

It reminded him of the way his mother greeted families at Gala’s she had to be courteous too in public, but there was nothing genuine behind it. Before he could say anything, there was a loud thump from under his desk. Felicity stood up rapidly, rubbing the back of her head. Her ponytail slightly askew.

 

Oliver frowned, moving closer to her. “Did you head your hit head? Are you okay?”

 

“No, I mean, yes, I did but I’m okay. I’m hard headed, literally and metaphorically. Once-,“ She started.

 

“Felicity,” He said gently, stopping her babble before she could get going. “Let me see, you could have a bump.”

 

Felicity took a step back from him, “Nope. My noggin is intact, all good. And now your computer should be up and running and you can finish that report.” She turned to Laurel who was observing them with sharp eyes. “Hi, Laurel. I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?”

 

“I’m good. How are you?” Laurel asked, a tight-lipped smile stretching her lips, “I know it’s a rough month for you. I can only imagine having to deal with all that you have too.”  Her voice rang with false sympathy.

 

Oliver would have guessed that Laurel was referencing how crazy things at the SCPD had been if not for the look in Laurels eyes, and Felicity’s reaction, when she said it. He could place the gleam in Laurel’s eyes, he’d seen it paired with that same false sickly-sweet tone in the past, it was coldness mixed with condescension.

 

It was Laurel’s way of trying to throw a person off their game to get under their skin.

 

She’d use it when he was talking to other women she’d viewed as a threat to their relationship. Or when she would ask him a question she already knew the answer to and wanted to see if he’d lie to her.

 

Felicity looked momentarily taken aback, then guarded her expression. She smiled at Laurel, but Oliver had seen Felicity smile before and this wasn’t the same, it seemed forced. He wanted to step in and say something to Laurel but he wasn’t sure what he could say without making Felicity uncomfortable.

 

“I’m great actually, I spent the weekend hanging out with Sara, which was a lot of fun.” Felicity said, “And if you’re looking for Quentin, he’s in his office. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.” She spoke cheerfully, but the only time it sounded real was when she mentioned Quentin.  

 

Laurel’s eyes narrowed at Sara’s name. “Oh no, I’m here to see Ollie. He’s doing me a favor, isn’t that right?” She said, turning towards him.

 

Felicity looked between them, an unreadable expression crossing her face. “Okay well then I’ll leave you two to that. See you later Oliver.”

 

She strode away hastily before he could say that it was less of a favor and more of a guilt trip.

 

“Was whatever that was really necessary Laurel?” Oliver asked harshly.

 

She gave him an innocent look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ollie.”

 

Anger bubbled up inside him and he fought to keep his voice level. “Cut the crap Laurel. You know exactly what you were doing, I’ve seen you do it before, back when we were together. You were trying to make her uncomfortable.”

 

Laurel dropped all pretense, glaring at him. “Why do you care so much?”

 

“Not that it’s any of your business, Felicity is my friend and she’s a nice person. You can’t come in here and behave that way for no reason, or out of some misplaced jealousy because I was talking to another woman. You’re dating someone else, and the only reason you’re here right now is because I felt guilty about everything I put you through.” Oliver said heatedly.

 

Laurel scoffed.

 

“Don’t think so highly of yourself, Ollie. Not everything revolves around you, I’m not jealous of Felicity, or all her issues, I can promise you that. And you should feel guilty, for Sara, and for everything else. The least you can do is give me the file.” She said bitterly, crossing her arms across her chest.

 

He forced himself to calm down, ignoring the barb at Felicity. “I’ve already apologized, Laurel. I’m not the same man as before and I can’t keep living in the past. You’re in a happy relationship now. If you can’t let it go, that’s on you.”

 

Spitefulness shone her eyes as she stared into his own. “It easy for you to say that because you never even cared about the things you put me through. If you were the one in my situation, you couldn’t just let it go either.”  

 

Oliver resisted the mean urge to tell her what she’s gone through is nothing like what he’s been through. He’s been through of hell of a lot worse than years old relationship drama and he was still standing without being bitter and resentful.

 

Then Oliver was struck with a realization. He didn’t want to be like Laurel. Constantly stuck on the past until it twisted her into someone he didn’t even recognize. Felicity was right, he couldn’t only live to make up for the past or he’d never feel like he was enough.

 

Oliver took her advice, and then did what he told Laurel to do, he let it go.

 

If people couldn’t see him as more than he used to be, Oliver had no room for them in his life. It wasn’t worth it.

 

Feeling more put together, Oliver reached to open the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a folder filled with papers. He held it out to Laurel.

 

“This is everything I could find on the Declan case. Take it, but we’re done here. I mean that Laurel. I can be polite for Tommy’s sake, but you and I are never going to see eye to eye and I can’t keep doing this with you. No more favors or guilt trips. It’s done.” Oliver stated, leaving no room for argument.

 

Laurel snatched the folder from him.

 

“Fine.” She said viciously, as she walked away she looked over her shoulder at him, “But if you think I’m the only one around here who can’t get over the past, you couldn’t be more wrong.” She looked towards Felicity’s office, a meaningful look on her face.

 

Oliver wasn’t sure what that meant, or what all the snide comments she made about Felicity meant, but he refused to ask. Mostly because Laurel wanted him to ask her about Felicity, and because it wasn’t his place. Felicity had the right to keep her past to herself. If she wanted him to know she would have to tell him herself, not anyone else.

 

**

 

Felicity took a deep breath. She was slowly spinning around in her desk chair, taking deep breaths and attempting to calm down. The whole interaction with Laurel had agitated her. She wasn’t sad, she was pissed. Laurel and Felicity had never been close, but they had been at least polite and semi-friendly to one another.

 

Polite and semi-friendly is not how she’d describe that last interaction. Laurel had gone full Regina George Mean Girl.

 

Laurel knew that last year around this time was when everything happened, and she knew all the details of what happened, so for Laurel to try to bring that up around someone who didn’t know without Felicity’s permission seriously pissed her off. Laurel had never acted that malicious towards her before.

 

Felicity wasn’t sure what she did so wrong to Laurel.

 

Sure, they were never the best of friends or got along the way she did with Sara, but they were at least friendly. The only thing Felicity could guess was that she was talking to Oliver and it had angered Laurel. Which doesn’t even make that much sense because Oliver and she were coworkers, and only just started becoming friends. Plus, Laurel was dating Tommy Merlyn.

 

Felicity came to the conclusion she’d never understand Laurel Lance and decided to not spend anymore of her energy on it. If she did, she might do something not very nice (or legal).

 

Like trash Laurels credit and erase her license to practice law.

 

The thought gave her a sense of satisfaction, then she started to feel guilty for thinking it. Laurel might have been mean, but retaliation would just end up hurting Sara and Quentin because they’d be in an awkward position. She didn’t want to do that to them.

 

A knock sounded at her door and Oliver stepped in without pausing.

 

“Hey, Felicity.” He greeted.

 

“Hi, Oliver. Is your computer not working again?” Felicity said, grabbing the edge of her desk to stop her chair from spinning. Her vision blurred, and she felt dizzy. “Woah. Probably shouldn’t of done all that spinning.” She muttered under breath.

 

“No, it’s fine. Thank you for that by the way.” Oliver said, stepping up closer to her desk. Hesitance flashed across his face. “I just wanted to say sorry about Laurel. She had no right to act that way towards you, obviously what she said upset you so, I’m sorry. It was my fault she was here. She was just supposed to drop by for the Declan case file.”

 

Felicity was equal parts touched and annoyed. Not everything was Oliver Queens fault like he seemed to think it was. Laurel was a big girl and she made her own decisions, her behavior was one of them.

 

“Oliver, that’s really sweet of you to apologize, but Laurel’s a grown up. She knew what she was doing, and she made her own choice, it’s nothing you did.” Felicity said, hoping that was the end of the conversation.

 

She didn’t want him to keep talking about it. It might lead him to ask about the things Laurel was refencing and there was no way in Hell she was ready to talk about that with him. He seemed to get the hint, dropping the subject.

 

“Okay. Well as thank you for saving me with your computer skills, how about I buy us Big Belly for lunch?” Oliver offered, the corner of his mouth turning up.

 

“I could never turn down Big Belly. It’s a date.” Felicity grinned. “I mean, not a date _date_ , just coworkers-slash-friends getting burgers, platonically. Nothing date-like. These will be platonic ‘thank you’ burgers.” She rushed the words out, her face heating up.

 

“Right. Platonic burgers are my favorite. I’ll come back by at 11:30 and we’ll head out. Sound good?” Oliver said, this time he was full on smiling.

 

He really had to stop smiling at her like that or else she was going to have a heart attack.

 

“Sounds good.” Felicity managed, praying that her face wasn’t tomato red.

 

She had a not date with Oliver Queen. She blamed all the chair spinning for still feeling slightly dizzy and winded.

 

Yeah, it was the effects of that, nothing else.

 

What a strange morning.

 

**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with this chapter I really wanted to see some Protective!Oliver because I love him and I wanted to write some of that. Also we all know Felicity is Smoakin' (pardon the terrible pun) so it made sense to me to have other people, including Oliver, notice that hahah. I also had a lot of fun with Felicity's accidental innuendos. I just wanted to show some lighter Olicity because their last interaction in the hospital was a little heavy.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity eats a burger and takes a nap. Really that's all that happens. Nothing else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so sorry for the suuuuper late update. I really wanted to do every Monday but it looks like that may have been wishful thinking. My life and work have been so busy that my brain feels melted so my writing juices arent flowing and it makes it hard to sit and write. The next update will hopefully be more on schedule, I've already started writing it so we shall see. 
> 
> Again, sorry and thank you for your patience! 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos make my fingers type faster and my brain feel less melted and feeds the muse so any of those would be so welcome and appreciated. Thank you for reading!!!!

 

Felicity sat in the booth at Big Belly Burger and couldn’t help but feel as if she was in another reality.

 

Not because she was in a fast food restaurant, she’d been in plenty of those, but because she was currently sharing said booth with Oliver Queen while they waited for their food during their break from the SCPD.

 

To say she had never pictured this as her future would be an understatement. She knew it wasn’t good for her to dwell on what could of have been and instead should focus on her life as it was, but sometimes those kinds of dark and twisty thoughts hit her out of nowhere and it was all she could think about. Just like Alice, she couldn’t stop herself from falling down the Rabbit Hole.

 

“I can practically hear the gears turning in that big brain of yours, Felicity. What’s on your mind?” Oliver asked, his tone somewhere between amused and concerned.

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

The look he gave her made it clear he didn’t believe that.

 

 “Come on,” He urged gently, “You listened to me when I had a lot on my mind at the hospital. I’d like to do the same for you.”

 

“Are you sure? You’ve heard my babbles, the thoughts in my head are like a hundred times worse and faster. It’s like that almost every day up here, so there’s a lot to listen too. I’m talking Harry Potter novel length, long. And some of it isn’t very nice.” Felicity said, tapping a blue finger nail on her temple.

 

“You can always tell me about your day, Felicity.” He sounded sincere in a way that made her chest feel warm and her stomach fluttery.

 

She took a deep breath, speaking hesitantly, “I… I never thought I would be here, you know? I mean that kind of literally and figuratively. In Big Belly Burger with Oliver Queen of all people... Not that you’re bad company or anything, I just mean that we’re from completely different social stratospheres. I grew up the daughter of single mother slash cocktail waitress on the not so good side of Vegas, but here we are together getting fast food on our lunch break from the police department. I never expected to work for Big Brother either. College Felicity would’ve been shocked at me now. I had so many plans for my career and it wasn’t this. I wanted to help people and change the world with technology I created. I was taking the steps to get there at QC then everything happened, and I left. Working at the SCPD isn’t the same work as that. I guess my life now, it’s kind of...” Felicity trailed off, searching for the word she was looking for.

 

“Surreal?” Oliver offered, a knowing look in his eyes.

 

“Exactly! It’s not a bad life, just surreal.”

 

Something lit up in his eyes, a mix between fondness and recollection. “Do you remember the first day we met?”

 

“Yes?” She said, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. It came out more of a question than a statement, but the topic switch had caught her off guard.

 

And she does remember the first day they met in the elevator. Felicity had been relieved she wasn’t caught babbling, then spent the whole elevator ride trying to control her nerves because his presence had been so large, it felt intimidating. Now that she knows Oliver more, Felicity couldn’t imagine feeling that way again. He still had the same large presence, however now she saw it as commanding rather than scary. Plus, she knew he would never do anything to make her feel uncomfortable or scared on purpose. He had never said it so plainly, but she just knew it was the truth. Felicity trusted Oliver, it was something almost instinctual that told her she could. She couldn’t describe it in any way other than a gut feeling.

 

That might make her seem naïve but usually her gut wasn’t wrong and her instinct with him was so strong, she could feel it in her bones.

 

“Well, before I got on the elevator I heard you talking to yourself about your life and how you didn’t expect it be going the way it did.” Oliver started.

 

Felicity groaned. So much for not being caught babbling.

 

“I thought no one heard me.” She said, embarrassment in her voice. Then she remembered the next part of their meeting. “Oh my god then I accused you of basically stalking me! You probably thought I was insane.”

 

A smile pulled at his lips that she didn’t dare think too much about, because if she did, she’d lose her whole train of thought.

 

“I didn’t think you were insane. I actually agreed with what you said,” Oliver continued, “Not the stalker part, because I wasn’t doing that. But the other stuff, that’s where I was going with this. I feel the same way sometimes, I felt it that way on my first day when I went to see Lance and I’ve been getting that feeling over and over for years. I used to be an idiot rich kid who’s only skills were binge drinking and hooking up, then my Dad died, and I enlisted. Now after what I’ve learned in the Army and everything I’ve been through, it’s hard to picture who I used to be and compare that person to who I am now. So, I get it. But being here at the SCPD, doing what you do, it’s not a bad thing. I know it may not be the same as what you did at QC but you’re still doing good, and helping people, maybe not the way you expected, but you _are_ helping people. You’re the one who told me as long as you’re doing good, it doesn’t matter how you do it. And we couldn’t do what we do without you. We never would have caught Lawton if not for you.”

 

Felicity was speechless. Which was rare. She didn’t know what she had thought he’d say, but it wasn’t all of that. And she meant that in the best way possible. It was nice to have someone else understand how life can throw a wrench in a person’s life with no warning whatsoever.

A rush of gratitude towards Oliver filled her. He didn’t know why she left QC, he still hadn’t asked, and he was still giving her wonderful advice with no expectation of her to tell more than she was ready to tell. Felicity appreciated that more than he knew.

 

“You give really good pep talks, you know that right?” Felicity said, a serious expression on her face.

 

He smirked at her, leaning back and spreading his arms out on the top of the booth. “I try. Besides, a lot of what I said, you already said to me, so it’s mostly because of you.”

 

“Then I take it back, I give really good pep talks and I’m so glad they inspired yours.” She said playfully, matching the smirk on his face.

 

He let out a quiet chuckle. “So humble.”

 

Felicity shrugged, a cheeky grin on her face, and repeated what he said earlier. “I try.” Felicity dropped her teasing attitude, and said seriously, “Thank you for listening, Oliver. All jokes aside, I really do appreciate it.”

 

He met her eyes, something intense swimming in them that she couldn’t quite read. “Anytime, Felicity. I meant what I said, you can always talk to me.”

 

She smiled softly, hoping he would be able to tell how grateful she was without words. They stared at each other for a long moment, and for Felicity, it was like the world fell away around them. The noise from the other customers went away, all she could see was the blue of his eyes and unreadable emotions floating through them.

 

Felicity had always hated mysteries. She wanted to be able to decipher the meaning.

 

“Sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoy.” A server interrupted whatever moment was happening between them, placing their tray of food on the table.

 

She startled slightly, breaking eye contact with Oliver. He glanced at the server.

 

“No problem, and thanks.”

 

Felicity repeated the nicety, feeling a little off balance. As the server left, she grabbed for her food, shoving a French fry in her mouth to stop a babble that was bubbling up.

 

“I was able to finish all the reports from the Lawton arrest. Now Lance just needs to sign off on them and I can send them to the DA office. I’m so glad they’re out of the way, but since Dig will be out another week before he’s back, Lance gave me some of his cases, so I still have about fifteen more ranging from theft to murder that need closed.” Oliver complained changing the subject, his tone was light, so she knew he wasn’t actually upset.

 

Felicity gave an unladylike snort. “Crime stops for no man, especially not in this city.”

 

“Yeah well, Dig needs to hurry up and come back. Even on desk duty, he’d be a help.”

 

“Oliver, he was shot in the shoulder.” She said exasperatedly.

 

He waved a hand noncommittedly. “It was just a flesh wound. He’s fine. He’s just whining at this point.”

 

Felicity stared at him in disbelief, until she saw his mouth twitch. She shot him an unimpressed look. “I really thought you were being serious. I was about to smack you.”

 

Oliver chuckled. “I’d like to see you try.”

 

“I could have you on the ground underneath me in five seconds if I wanted too.”

 

He raised an eyebrow, and she realized what she said.

 

“I meant that I could take you down easily, Sara taught me how to fight. So I could take you down in a fight… That’s how you’d be underneath me, not in a sex way but in an ass kicking way.” She said quickly, her cheeks flushing. “I keep accidently making advances on you and I’m so sorry, I’m not trying to sexually harass you, I swear. It just my mouth and my brain say things that sound bad before I realize it.”

 

Oliver grinned at her teasingly, “Don’t worry, I know what you meant, you don’t have to apologize. I won’t report you to HR. But you are aware that I’m ex Special Forces?”

 

“Thanks for that, consider this your official apology and warning for all inappropriate future rambles.” Then she added, “And don’t underestimate me, Queen. I could so kick your ass.”

 

He gave her an appraising look. It wasn’t inappropriate in any way, more like he was taking what she said seriously and was studying her.

 

Oliver nodded slowly. “You know what? You’re right. You, Felicity Smoak, are full of surprises, I actually wouldn’t be surprised if you could.”  
She ignored the heat on her face, giving him a wink. “I’m always right.”

 

He laughed again, joy lighting up his features. The fact that she’s the one who made that look cross his face made Felicity feel like she was on top of the world. Oliver Queen was notoriously broody, and she felt good knowing that she caused him to drop that for even a moment. Then she felt stupid for feeling that way.

 

Because it wasn’t like she was the only one who made him feel that way. She was sure some other woman or friend, like John, did it too. She wasn’t anything special.

 

That sobered her up some, so she took a bite of her burger to distract herself. They ate in mostly in a comfortable silence, filling it with bits of small talk about work until they both finished eating. She leaned back in the booth, patting her full tummy. Maybe she’d close her office door and take an after-lunch nap in her office. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately, but with a full stomach and the prospect of putting off some dull software updates to their criminal databases it might be enough to lull her to sleep. Felicity held back a yawn.

 

Yeah, a nap was definitely in her afternoon plans.

 

“I’m going into a food coma and it’s your fault.” Felicity said with mild accusation.

 

He gave her a skeptical look. “No, I’m pretty sure it’s all the carbs you ate.”

 

“Yeah, carbs that you provided.” She countered. Then she realized that she’d eaten a lot of Big Belly Burger lately and she might have to step up her training before she got her own big belly. “I’ve seriously eaten so much junk lately, I’m gonna gain five pounds.”

 

“Fine, next time we can go for platonic salads instead.” Oliver said easily, grinning at her.

 

Felicity laughed and threw a balled up napkin at him. “Shut up.”

 

**

 

Oliver was in a good mood. Despite the crappy start to his morning, lunch with Felicity cheered him up considerably. Felicity and he were exiting the elevator, when he heard Lance yell his name across the bull pen.

 

“Queen! My office, now.” Lance said, his voice raised. He stood in the doorway of his office, his arms crossed and an angry look on his face.

 

“Uh oh, what’d you do now? I haven’t seen that look on his face since his doctor told him he had stop eating fried food.” Felicity commented, worry evident in her face.

 

Oliver sighed heavily. “I have no idea what I did. But seeing as Lance hates me, I’m sure it was something as small as a typo in my reports.”

 

She glanced up at him, “Want me to try and calm him down first?”

 

“No but thank you.” He said, “He’ll be pissed no matter what, might as well get it over with.” His tone was a mix of appreciation for her offer and dread for what was to come.

 

“Okay, well good luck and thanks again for lunch.” Felicity said, smiling up at him then heading to her office. She waved at Lance as she past by him.

 

He gave her a short nod before turning his glare back on Oliver. “Stop taking your sweet ass time Detective Queen. Now, means now!”

 

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and followed Lance into his office. As soon as the door shut behind them, Lance didn’t waste a second before he whirled around and started yelling.

 

“Do you wanna tell me why I just had a random uniform come into my office and tell me that you and my daughter had an argument in the middle of the bull pen this morning? Can you also explain why the hell you were out to lunch with Felicity when I told you to stay away from her?” Lance hollered, his voice rough and anger contorting his features.

 

That pissed Oliver off. Of course, Laurel would manage to fuck up his good mood one more time before the day was over. Not to mention, Felicity was her own person and Oliver knew she’d be annoyed if she heard Lance trying to dictate who she ate lunch with.

 

“Look, the only reason Laurel was here was because she wanted the case files on Peter Declan. She got the idea in her head that he’s innocent and asked me for a favor. We were only arguing because she was completely rude to Felicity while she was fixing my computer. I took her to lunch as a thank you and an apology for your daughter’s behavior.” Oliver bit out, trying to keep his voice as level as possible.

 

Lance’s brow furrowed but he seemed placated by Oliver’s explanation. “Why didn’t she ask me? And why does she think that?”

 

Oliver shrugged. “She said she didn’t want to put you in an awkward position but besides that, I don’t know. You’ll have ask her.” He couldn’t resist adding, “Then you can also ask her why the hell she was so mean to Felicity too. You want me to stay away from her, but the only person causing her problems is Laurel. Felicity was upset.”

 

Lance glared at him. “Watch yourself, Queen. Don’t tell me how to deal with my family, I’ll handle my daughters my own way.”

 

Oliver didn’t miss the fact he referred to Felicity as his daughter. Yet again, he was struck by the curiosity of their relationship. When he didn’t say anything, Lance ran a hand over his face. His shoulders drooped, and he seemed tired suddenly.

 

“I may have overreacted, Queen. I appreciate you having Felicity’s back, even though I don’t like that you gave case information to Laurel in my precinct without telling me. She has an issue or wants a favor that has to do with your job here, you go through me first. Next time, there won’t be any information sharing without my express permission, we clear?” Lance asked, his tone gruff and leaving no room for argument.

 

“Trust me, there won’t be a next time. But yes, we’re clear.” Oliver said stiffly.

 

Lance seemed to hesitate before he spoke, “What did Laurel say to Felicity that upset her so much?”

 

Oliver studied Lance’s reaction carefully as he said, “She made some comment about how it’s a rough month for Felicity, then said some stuff about her past and how Felicity has issues to me. I just figured Laurel was trying to make her look bad with half-truths and make me ask questions, which I didn’t do.”

 

Lance kept his facial expression neutral, but he could see the anger flash in his eyes when he heard what Laurel said.

 

“Don’t pay Laurel any attention, you’re right about what she was doing. You’re dismissed, Detective.” Lance said, his tone firm.

 

Oliver wasn’t sure Quentin was being totally honest with him, he had a feeling Laurel was dealing in more than just half-truths, but he let it go. He nodded once at Capitan Lance then left the room with even more questions about the Lances and their relationship to Felicity and her past in his head.

 

**

 

Felicity was laying on the couch in her office, the lights dimmed and a soft blanket covering her as she attempted to take an after lunch nap. Her office stayed on the cold side because of her servers and computers required it.

 

Taking a nap while on the clock probably wasn’t the most professional thing to do, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She was tired, had a full stomach and had a sucky morning. Lunch with Oliver was great, but all the food made her sleepy. Not too mention, she had barely any work to do. Only thing she had to do was a few software updates that would take all of an hour to complete. So, unless someone needed her IT skills or needed a computer analyzed for evidence, she had a free afternoon.

 

She deserved a nap.

 

At least, that’s what she told herself as she laid on the couch with her eyes closed trying to fall asleep. It took her another fifteen minutes before she fell into a light sleep. For the first time in almost a week she didn’t have any nightmares.

 

A loud knock at her office door had her jerking awake. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and feeling slightly disoriented.

 

“Sweetheart, why is your office door locked? I thought you stopped doing that. Don’t make me get my key.” Lance’s muffled voice came through the door.

 

Felicity kicked the blanket off her legs and went to open her door, not bothering to put her shoes back on or fix her disheveled appearance. Lance had seen her looking worse.

 

“S’rry Quentin.” She slurred sleepily, still trying to wake up.

 

Amusement and a little disapproval flickered across his face.

 

“Oh sorry, I thought this was your office, not your bedroom, didn’t mean to wake you up.” He said sarcastically, stepping into her office and closing the door behind him.

 

She went back to her couch and pulled the blanket back around her, stifling a yawn.

 

“C’mon kid, I am your boss ya know? You could at least pretend you were working.” Lance said exasperation lacing his voice.

 

Felicity shrugged nonchalantly, giving him an impish smile. “We both know I suck at lying so why bother.”

 

He sat down next to her on the couch and turned to face her. “Care to tell me why you’re sleeping and not working then?”

 

She looked down at the blanket, picking at a loose thread.

 

“I just haven’t been sleeping well lately and I was finally tired, so I thought maybe I could fall asleep here. Since there’s some noise and other people, I figured it might make me not sleep hard enough to have nightmares.” Felicity said quietly.

 

He gave her a sad but understanding look. “Did it work?”

 

She nodded.

 

“Well, then that’s all that matters. At least your door was locked so no one could walk in and find out I’m letting my favorite employee nap during work hours. It’ll be our secret, okay?” Lance said, gently patting her blanket covered knee.

 

Felicity smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you, Quentin. But what made you stop by? Do you need my help with something?”

 

“No, sweetheart. I just wanted to check in on you, I heard about this morning.”

 

“Sticks and stones, and all that. I’m fine.” She said, making a gesture with her hands to show she was unbothered.

 

“Good. Queen said you were really upset by Laurel. But I want you to know I called her and gave her a talking too.” He said in his patented dad voice.

 

As sweet as that was, she was still stuck on the first part of the sentence.

 

“Is that what you called Oliver in your office for? To talk about me?” Felicity groaned.

 

How embarrassing.

 

Lance shook his head. “No, not completely. I heard Laurel and he were arguing about something in the bull pen this morning and I wanted to know what it was, so I asked. Turns out, it was about Queen defending you to Laurel.”

 

Felicity’s heart stuttered at that. She had known Oliver felt bad about what Laurel said, but she didn’t know he argued with Laurel about her. It made her feel like their friendship was stronger than she thought if he was defending her against one of his oldest friends slash ex-girlfriends.

 

“It wasn’t just about me, I’m sure. Laurel also wanted to get the Declan case files from Oliver which he didn’t seem thrilled about.” She said quickly, not wanting Lance to get the wrong impression. And it was true, Felicity had seen Oliver’s face when she mentioned the ‘favor’ and he didn’t seem like he wanted to do it.

 

Lance had already assumed the worst about Oliver and warned her away from him when they first met, and she knew that Oliver was just being a good friend by defending her, nothing else.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure being good friends is all he wants.” Lance said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

 

She flushed. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud. But it is, we’re just friends.”

 

“Okay, sure.” Lance agreed, but his tone made it clear he didn’t believe her.

 

“Anyways,” Felicity said, shooting him a glare, “I’m just fine. Do you think you could let me get back to my nap now?” Her voice pleading.

 

He laughed. “Fine. Take your nap, but just know I’m the best boss ever.”

 

She grinned. “Duh. I already knew that. You’re a big ole softy.”

 

Lance chuckled again and gave her knee another pat before standing and heading to her door. “C’mon sweetheart, lock it behind me so everyone else still thinks I’m a hard ass. Can’t let the other officers know I’m getting soft in my old age.”  

 

Felicity stood, doing as he asked. “Your secret is safe with me.”

 

He grinned at her, before replacing it with the usual grumpy look he wore around the precinct and stepped out the door. She locked it behind him and headed back to her couch. As soon as she settled down, another knock sounded on her door. Felicity sighed and rolled her eyes.

 

“What, did you forget something? You’re not that old yet, Quentin.” She said, flinging the door open. Her heart dropped to her stomach, and her breath sped up when she saw who was standing there. She felt the blood drain from her face as she gasped out, “Mr. Steele?”

 

“Good afternoon, Ms. Smoak. I’m sorry to interrupt your work, but I was hoping I could have a moment of your time? I promise it’s important.” Walter Steele’s smooth British accent floated through the door and past the ringing in her ears.

 

She pinched herself to see if this was just a nightmare.

 

The stinging in her arm told her it was very much real.

 

Frack. 

 

Scratch that. This situation called for the big words.

 

Fuck.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! Sorry for the cliffhanger but it was too good to pass up. In the next few chapters we'll find out some of what happened at QC :D


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity gets an unexpected visitor, but hey, at least he brought a gift. It might've just been a flash drive, then again she is in IT so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guys, I got super excited and wrote this whole bad boy out (nearly 6k) in a few hours then I've been editing it and I just finished it and I couldn't wait until tomorrow to post it so it's a day earlier than the usual (well mostly usual) monday schedule but I'm sure yall don't mind an early update hahah. However, the next one probably wont be until next monday. 
> 
> We find out some of what happened to Felicity at QC, not everything, but a good bit.
> 
> SO AS A WARNING-- (caps so its seen) this is when my story starts to get darker and talk about some heavy themes. we'll discuss some not so nice topics and violence. I'll put warnings in the author note before anything too heavy but just be warned it does get darker. (not trying to scare anyone off but I want readers to be prepared) There's a reason its a mature rating.
> 
> This chapter is mostly canon typical violence and its not described in depth but we will go there.
> 
> Thank you all for reading and I hope I didnt discourage anyone from sticking with my story because we get a little angsty hahaha. 
> 
> As always kudos and comments feed my soul and they're so appreciated, I love hearing yalls thoughts! So comment away lol.

 

 

Felicity stood dumbstruck in the doorway for a moment longer.

“Ms. Smoak?” Walter said, his smooth voice tinged with concern.

The sound of her name shook her out of her daze.

“Oh, uhm, sure. Come in, Mr. Steele.” Felicity said, moving out of the way to let him in.

Suddenly, she remembered her disheveled appearance. She was still barefoot, and her ponytail was so messy strands of hair were escaping and it had fallen to the lower part of her neck, instead of it’s usual high resting place. Self-consciously, she tugged out her hair tie and ran her fingers through her hair, hoping to smooth it down some. She straightened her skirt from where it had ridden up from how she was laying.

Felicity gestured to the hardback chair sitting opposite of her desk. “Please, have a seat.” She didn’t want him on the couch, sitting close to her, and her desk would work as a buffer between them.

She didn’t think he’d do anything, but she needed a barrier to help keep herself together. Felicity liked Walter, she did. But she also never thought she’d speak to him again, so she felt off balanced and needed to control as much as she could. Him being in her office was already starting to chip away at the steel lock box in the back of her mind labeled ‘Do not open, ever’.

Mr. Steele nodded politely, taking the offered seat with the grace only a posh British person emanates. Felicity quickly walked to her shoes and slid them on her feet, then took her place behind her desk. She wasn’t sure what to say or how to break the uncomfortable silence that enveloped them, and for once there were no babbles threatening to spill over. She wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign.

It was probably because she couldn’t hear any of her thoughts over the blood pounding through her head.

“I am sorry to disturb you, Ms. Smoak. I know things hadn’t ended well professionally at Queen Consolidated, but I am glad to see you found a career that allows you to use your impressive skill set. I believe it was your expertise that saved my life and learned of the threat against me, so I’d like to thank you for that.” Walter complimented.

The only thing stopping Felicity from saying something snarky was that he actually sounded genuine.

“Of course, honestly I was just doing my job. But I know you’re not here to talk about my new profession. What do you want, Mr. Steele?” She asked firmly, proud of herself for how even her voice sounded.

He hesitated, a flash of uncertainty in his eyes. But he spoke anyways, “No, no I’m not. Do you remember after I promoted you, I told you that I had some other personal projects I wanted you to look into? On top of the IT work you did?”

She fought the urge to flinch at the mention of her promotion. “Yes. Some secret corporate stuff about other companies and their technology, like the report I wrote about Unidac. I also remember your wife accusing me of having an affair with you while I was in the hospital after everything because of what she thought those ‘personal projects’ were.” Felicity said, unable to stop the venom from coating her words.

This time, Walter flinched. “I am sorry for Moira. She… is just very protective of the company. I want to assure you that she knows now that that was never the case. My wife is actually the reason I’m coming to you today. Before…” He trailed off, clearly uncomfortable and searching for the right word, “the incident with Kent Samuels, I had wanted to you to look into a transaction that seemed off on the company books.”

Felicity tried hard to keep her composure at the mention of his name. Taking a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth, she attempted to settle her racing heart. Ignoring her body’s physical response to that name, she thought back to what Walter was referring too. Then it hit her.

“I remember that. I never had the time to look into it. What does Moira Queen have to do with it?” She asked, trepidation and curiosity in her voice.

“Well,” He said, shifting his chair, “the transaction was over 2.6 million dollars and back when I first discovered it I was CFO and brought it to the CEO, at the time Moira, she explained it away and I was…unconvinced that was the only explanation.” Walter still seemed hesitant, whether it was because he was discussing his wife or something else, she didn’t know. 

What she did know was that she wanted answers, and she wanted them now.

“I understand that, Mr. Steele. That’s why you brought it to me originally. But why are you bringing it up again now? What’s changed?” Felicity inquired, a slight edge in her tone.

“Honestly, I had forgotten about the withdrawal in the aftermath of the events that occurred but recently I was going over figures and it came back into my mind. I was hoping you could look into this time and find out the truth.” Walter explained.

Felicity face contorted in confusion. “Why me? I don’t work for QC anymore and after everything, I’m probably not the best choice to investigate probable embezzlement.” What she left unspoken was that she wasn’t the best choice because if she was feeling vindictive she could blast it everywhere and cause (another) major QC scandal. Especially because of Moira Queen’s involvement.

“You not working there is exactly why I want you to look into it, I don’t want anyone else to find out. I know your morals and ethics, Ms. Smoak. I know you wouldn’t do something out of spite or malice just because you could. I need your help to find the truth, this transaction was actually one of the reasons I promoted you. I needed someone I trusted to look into it.” He said, his brown eyes intense.

She wanted to say no, just so she could prove he didn’t know her or what she would or wouldn’t do. It was childish, and a little petty, but QC had hurt her. Even if he wasn’t the one who caused it, he was still its CEO.

But truthfully, he hadn’t done anything wrong to her. He’s the one who gave her a chance to get out of being a lowly IT gremlin in the first place. It wasn’t his fault that Kent Samuels was crazy nor were Walters wife’s actions his fault. Walter Steele was a decent man and he was offering her a mystery, and she couldn’t stand leaving them unsolved. And maybe, just maybe, this could be closure for her. He had said that this was one of the reasons he gave her the job. If she solved this, she could finally move on and close that part of her past permanently.

“Okay,” Felicity agreed, “But you can’t let anyone find out I’m helping you. I don’t want Captain Lance to find out and I don’t want to be in the spotlight anymore. No one can know but us.” Her tone was final.

“Very well, Ms. Smoak.” Walter reached into his suit jacket pocket and pulled out a black flash drive. “This is what I have regarding the money, it’s the date and amount of the transaction along with the account number that it was originally in. There’s also a phone number to a secure line you contact me at listed.” He set the drive on her desk.

She slid the flash drive across the desk and towards herself. “You know I’m going to have to enter the QC servers, as in hack into them.” Felicity said, raising an eyebrow in a ‘will that be a problem’ way.

Felicity didn’t care either way if it was an issue for him, but she wanted to see his reaction.

He let out a soft laugh. “I understand. It should be no problem as you set up most of our firewall and protocols yourself. The new IT staff will be the none the wiser. While that doesn’t say much for my employee’s, it does speak to your incredible skill. I’m not worried.”

Walter smiled at her. She tried to return it, she did, but it probably came off as weak because despite the fact that he was being kind to her and complimenting her intelligence, she was still uncomfortable and fighting back memories that were threatening to resurface. He must have read her expression correctly, because he stood from his chair and made to leave.

He paused as he reached the door.

“Ms. Smoak?”

She lifted her eyes from the flash drive and met his eyes. They were full of sympathy and a touch of sadness.

“I am sorry for what happened. If I had known-,“ He started.

Felicity tried not to scoff, instead interrupting whatever he was about to say with a detached, yet polite response. “Thank you. But I should really get to work on this, I’ll call as soon as I find something out.”

Walter didn’t look offended at her brief reply, just nodding and giving her another small smile before heading out the door and closing it behind him. She wasn’t trying to be rude to him, but she was sick of people trying to “if/then” her.

If they had done this, then this wouldn’t have happened.

It was beyond frustrating, because it did happen, and no pretty words or faux concern was going to change that. She had to learn the hard way how to deal and get past it. It was her life, her story, no matter how awful it was, she was the one who got to decide who to tell it to and when she wanted to talk about it. It was hers to control. Other people bringing it up and giving their opinions on her experience took that away from her and it wasn’t fair.

Felicity’s a survivor. Her past doesn’t define her, and she refused to let it.

Finding out about the missing 2.6 million would hopefully be enough to close the chapter on QC and that part of her past.

 

**

 

Oliver was walking back to his desk, terrible coffee from the break room in hand when he saw Walter walking through the bull pen. He frowned. What was he doing here?

“Walter?” Oliver called out, setting his coffee mug down on his desk.

Walter turned around, smiling as he saw Oliver.

“Hello, Oliver. I was just looking for you.” He said, coming to stand by Oliver’s desk.

“You found me. What can I help you with?” He asked, shaking Walter’s hand in greeting.

“Ah, I was seeing if anything else was required of me for the case against Floyd Lawton.” Walter said smoothly.

Oliver’s eyebrows furrowed, he had told Walter already that everything was being sent to the DA and no further testimony would be needed. Something about this didn’t feel right.

“No, Walter. We’ve got everything we need. If anything, the DA will contact you but they probably won’t need too. It’s pretty open and shut.”

Walter must have read the skepticism on his face because he said, “Very well. Forgive me for bothering you again about it. But that man did try and kill me, so I just wanted to be sure.”

A stab of guilt hit him instantly. Walter Steele was a business man, he wasn’t used to being shot at. Oliver sometimes forgot that that wasn’t normal for most people, he was so used to it being his normal that it was just another day for him.

“Right. Of course, you don’t need to worry. It’s all taken care of. Lawton isn’t going anywhere.” Oliver said, trying to reassure him.

“Thank you for that Oliver. You’re a good Detective, and I know your mother hasn’t been the most supportive of your career choice, but she really is proud of you. We both are.” Walter assured him, an encouraging look on his face.

Oliver kept his expression neutral. He was a grown man and he didn’t need approval from his mother, or the man she married, about his life. He knew Walter was just trying to be nice, but he didn’t have the fatherly relationship with him the way that Thea did. His words, while kind, did nothing but slightly annoy Oliver. For Thea’s sake, he kept his thoughts to himself.

“I appreciate that, Walter. Would you like me to walk you out?” Oliver offered, smiling tensely.

Walter caught on to Oliver’s clear avoidance of talking about it further and the polite dismissal, then again, he’d be a bad business man if he wasn’t able to read between the lines.

“No, no. I’m sure you have work to do. I can see myself out. Thank you for your time, and I hope we see you again for brunch at the mansion soon.” Walter shook his hand goodbye and headed for the elevator.

Oliver sat at his desk, sipping at the sludge that was the break room coffee. He was going to ask Felicity for her secret coffee pot, but he had guessed she was napping, if her shut office door was any indication, and he didn’t want to wake her up.

However, even as he turned back to reading through witness statements on an armed burglary at a liquor store in the Glades, he couldn’t shake the feeling that that wasn’t the reason Walter stopped by. The Queens, and Walter Steele himself, had gotten and survived many death threats before. Those kinds of things just came with the power and money they had amassed. While it usually wasn’t to the extreme of what Walter went through, it still happened. Oliver tried to think of another reason why Walter would of came by, but the only other connection he had here was Felicity who used to work at QC.

No, Oliver thought, shaking his head.

He couldn’t find a way to make that make sense. Why would Walter need to talk to an ex-employee? Especially since he got the feeling that her leaving had exactly been amicable?

Plus, Felicity was most likely napping at the moment.

Maybe Walter really had been worried about Lawton.

 

**

 

Two hours.

120 minutes.

That’s all it took for her life, to once again, change irrevocably. Hell, it hadn’t even truly taken that long. Half of that time was spent double and triple checking what she discovered before she actually believed it.

Felicity had found out where the money went, and who took it. It didn’t bring the closure she had hoped. Instead, it opened the door for a thousand more questions and some nausea too. She grabbed her trashcan in case her stomach did decide to expel the contents of her lunch.

Her fingers were tingling, her palms clammy as gripped the trashcan so tightly were knuckles turned white while her heart felt like it was going to beat through her chest.

“Calm down, Felicity.” She gasped out, trying to practice her breathing exercises.

Once she calmed enough to where she could breathe properly and not puke, she set down the trashcan and turned her attention back to her computer. The evidence was there, and it was undeniable.

Moira Queen took the 2.6 million dollars and had it transferred to an off-shore LLC called Tempest. The company never registered with the Secretary of State, there was no federal tax records and it wasn’t a subsidiary of Queen Consolidated. It was a shady company meant to funnel money through.

Which it did.

Twice.

Once, to purchase a warehouse in the Glades in 2009 and another time to transfer 250,000 thousand dollars into a hidden off-shore bank account of one Kent Samuels in February 2011.

The same man who was her ex supervisor at QC that she filed a multitude of complaints about while she was promoted before he was.

The same man who supposedly just snapped one day then tried to take Felicity’s life.

Or at least, she had thought he’d snapped out of nowhere. What she found contradicted that. She learned the real reason, and it wasn’t a violent psychotic break.

The timing of the money, and the fact that it was Moira Queen who gave it to him, lead to only one conclusion, the attack that changed her life and forced her to leave QC was premeditated.

It was planned, and it was mostly successful.

The only part Samuel’s failed at was not killing her, she left QC like Moira wanted.

Then again, some part of her did die that day.

Moira Queen paid him to kill her, and the only logical explanation was that it had to do with whatever the hell was in that warehouse. Walter told her that Moira knew he didn’t believe the explanation about the money, she had to have found out that he had asked Felicity to look into it. Then Moira must have realized Felicity was going to find out what she was hiding and took steps to prevent that from happening.

And it worked. Until now.

What better way to shut her up and make it look like pure chance than pay the man who she’d filed sexual harassment and hostile working environment complaints against?

Samuels had always been creepy to Felicity and he was notoriously incompetent, jealous of her accomplishments and her intelligence. He had resented her for getting promoted instead of him and couldn’t stand the fact that a woman who looked like Felicity was smarter than him and better at the same job he did.

She wasn’t even guessing there, he said as much in his testimony at his trial for assault and attempted murder. Anyone who met him could see that he was seemingly unstable.

Felicity thought it made horrible, perfect sense.

Either way Moira would get what she wanted. Felicity would either be dead, and no one would be the wiser for the true reason why, Samuels would be expected to take the money and run when the job was done, or she’d live, he’d get caught but no one would look deeper into it because misogynistic men committing violent crime against women was something that happened every day.

She had believed it herself, she never thought it could be more than that. She thought it was because of her, of something she did to Samuels. Felicity knew somewhere deep down that him hurting her wasn’t really her fault, and logically, she knew it was the trauma she had been through that made her blame herself. A victim blaming themselves after a violent attack was one of the textbook reactions in all the trauma books she read afterwards.

But Felicity also believed in science, and in science almost everything has an explanation, a meaning behind it.

A cause and effect.

So, when she had tried to apply those same structures of reason, the scientific textbook way, to her trauma it always came back that she was partially at fault too. She complains about him to HR after he continually asks her out while she denies him repeatedly and reports him for other sexist and inappropriate behavior then she gets promoted past him, so he becomes angry and jealous and he snaps and attacks her. His behavior was the effect of what she caused, she was the variable in that equation.

Science wasn’t wrong or right, it just was. It was hard facts, repeated theories and laws. Using those principles in her trauma had it always leading back to her.

Now? She wasn’t sure that was the case anymore. He had needed a catalyst in order to cause a reaction.

She used to see things objectively, but no matter how many books she read on trauma and getting past it, it was nearly impossible to look at her experience from that same unbiased place. If she had, maybe she would of seen that something wasn’t quite right and figured it out the trigger sooner. But after Samuels did what he did, for the first time, her brain didn’t seem to work the way it always did.

He took that from her.

It was hard to see things as clearly as she’d used to when it came to what she experienced, not when she still woke up in the middle of the night because she swore she could still feel his heavy weight on top of her. Not when anytime someone breathed too close or too heavy next to her it was like he was there, breathing in her ear. Not when every time she picked up a knife and felt the cool metal beneath her fingers, she could also feel the sticky warmth of blood that had been there once.

As horrible as it was, and no matter what other people said of how it wasn’t her fault, she never fully believed it.

Until now. It wasn’t her fault at all, someone else did this to her. Someone else paid Kent Samuels to hurt and try to kill her. It wasn’t what she caused. It was out of her hands, regardless of the complaints she filed or promotion she received, he needed a catalyst to harm her. That catalyst turned out to 250,000 thousand dollars. It wasn’t just what she did. Moira Queen caused this to happen to her and she was going to get justice for it.

Felicity got her closure, she knew now that it really wasn’t her. As sick and awful of what she had found out was, it made her feel a little less horrible about herself because now she knew, she _knew_ it wasn’t her fault. It was probably screwed up that Felicity felt better knowing someone put a hit out on her, but she was screwed up, so she’d take what she could get.

Now that she’d put everything together, she needed to decide a plan of action. Felicity didn’t know what to do with the information she uncovered.

A part of her wanted to take it to Quentin immediately and another part wanted to keep digging on her own, privately.

If she took what she had found to Lance now, with parts of it being obtained illegally (hacking), it could be dismissed in court. Moira Queen was a powerful, rich woman in Starling, she was a socialite from old money with connections everywhere. She could bury the information or keep it caught up in legal battles for years. Felicity knew how slow the justice system could move and she didn’t want to be dragged through the mud and have her past brought up constantly for as long as it’d take to prove Moira’s guilt. She needed more proof.

She still didn’t know what Moira wanted to keep hidden. If Felicity showed her cards now, then Moira would know she’s going after her and have to time to hide whatever it was she didn’t want found out.

Like Hell Felicity was going to let that happen. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars may not mean much to Moira Queen right now, but it is what she decided Felicity’s life was worth, and she was going to make damn sure it was the most costly mistake Moira Queen ever made. 

Felicity was fiercely determined now, and she wasn’t going to stop until Moira Queen and anyone else involved in the conspiracy was behind bars. She had feeling others had to be involved, powerful people always have lackeys to do their dirty work.

Felicity was going to keep working on finding more on her own, like what’s in the warehouse, until she could build up enough evidence for it to be an open and shut case with no way to get out of, regardless of the connections the Queen name held.

That meant keeping Lance and Sara out of it, for their own safety and because the less people who knew, the better. Especially Walter. While she knew he probably wasn’t involved since he took this to her in the first place, Felicity didn’t know where his loyalties laid, and she couldn’t take the chance that he would take his wife’s side over hers, even if siding with her was the right thing to do that didn’t mean he would.

She’d have to make up a lie to tell him. He wouldn’t believe that she found nothing, she was too good for that. Felicity contemplated what she could tell him. Then it hit her.

She would tell him that she found the Tempest LLC, but that was all. She would lie and say that’s where the money trail stopped, and she wasn’t able to trace it further. She’d keep the warehouse to herself and find out what was in it on her own.

It sounded believable enough and hopefully would satisfy Walter’s curiosity.

With that goal in mind, she started creating the proper documents to show what she found to Walter while hiding what she didn’t want found yet. She transferred those to the flash drive he gave her, then took the rest and put into her own secure file. Felicity decided not call Walter tonight to explain, she’d do it tomorrow because she didn’t want to deal with him anymore today. She didn’t know if she’d be able to keep her anger in check. She had to calm down and do some more research.

Besides, tonight she had a warehouse to go find.

 

**

 

Felicity spent the rest of the afternoon digging through any and all financial purchases from Queen Consolidated since 2009 that looked even the slightest bit hinky. She didn’t find much except for the assistant VP of accounting, Josh Winter, was definitely embezzling but he was doing such a good job of it she was slightly impressed, and since Felicity wasn’t particularly endeared to QC at the moment she didn’t forward the information anonymously to the IRS and SEC. But before making that decision she checked where the embezzled funds were going.

Most of the funds were going to Serenity Assisted Living Facility in California. Apparently, the assistant VP’s younger sister was special needs, and started staying at the top-rated facility three years ago when Winter received the promotion. It was an understandable reason, so Felicity didn’t feel guilty for not reporting it.

However, she was going to keep an eye on it. She’d set an alert to let her know if any large or suspicious funds from Winter’s account were withdrawn or transferred, and the moment he stepped out of line with it she’d email all of his information to the proper authorities.

Besides that, she found nothing else.

The next step was going through the Queen family accounts and looking for anything suspicious. There was always a money trail to be followed and she was going to figure out if Moira Queen has done this to anyone else or had any other secrets to be uncovered.

A knock on her door startled her. Quickly, she minimized all the searches she was doing and hid the flash drive in her top desk drawer.

“Come in.” Felicity called out.

“Hey,” Oliver greeted, stepping inside. “You haven’t come out of your office since lunch and I was just making sure you weren’t still asleep. It’s pretty late.”

Felicity was surprised when she checked the time. He was right, it was nearly seven.

“Oh,” She blinked, “I didn’t even realize.” And she hadn’t, she’d been so caught up in what she was doing the time flew by.

He frowned slightly looking at her closely, probably noticing her hair out of its usual pony tail and disheveled appearance. “You okay? You seem…out of it.”

She straightened up in her chair, adjusting her glasses from where they’d slipped down her nose and then tucked her hair behind her ear.

“I’m fine,” Felicity lied, hoping that was enough to convince him. “Just caught really into the work I was doing. Like a coding binge. I used to code for like 48 hours straight at MIT, only drinking coffee before I realized how much time had gone by. It’s a computer geek thing. We do that sometimes. It’s just been awhile since I’ve gotten intense on something, coding binges usually end with crazy hair, the urge to pass out and a look of general ‘out of it’. So, you haven’t seen it yet. But now you have, so congrats!” She rambled, for once she was grateful for her runaway mouth. It might be enough to distract him.

Felicity hadn’t even thought of Oliver in all of this. He was so different from Moira Queen that for just a moment she had forgotten who he was related too. It was his mother who did this to her and she was going after Moira with all she had. Oliver was bound to get hurt in the end when she inevitably finds more. Her stomach twisted with guilt before she could stop herself.

Her ramble caused the corners of his mouth to perk up. “Your hair isn’t that crazy, just curly. But what’s got you so intense? Maybe I could help?” Oliver offered.

“No!” She rushed out causing his eyebrows to shoot up. “I mean no. But thank you. It’s mostly cyber crime stuff.” She said, trying to back pedal.

He nodded in a way that made her doubt he was convinced she really was okay.

“Okay, no worries. Well I think I’m gonna head out for the night. Want me to wait for you? I can walk you to your car?”

Felicity considered it. She did need to head home and change before heading to the warehouse in the Glades because a skirt and panda flats weren’t exactly the best B&E wear. If she stayed and got sucked into what she was doing before she might miss her chance to go to the warehouse tonight.

“Yeah, sure. Let me just shut everything down. I’ll meet you by the elevator?” She said, trying her best to give him a bright smile.

He agreed easily and headed out the door. Felicity left some of her automated searches running overnight, it’d send an alert to her phone if anything was picked up, then she shut down the one’s she needed to pay attention too and manually run. She’d work more on those tomorrow. Felicity locked her computer down before grabbing her purse then locked her office door for good measure.

Oliver was waiting for her at the elevator just as she suggested. He gave her a quick smile, before pressing the down arrow on the wall.

“I was pretty tired at my own desk all afternoon, you were right about all the carbs. If only I had my own office to take a nap in…” He sighed dramatically.

She couldn’t help but let out a small giggle.

“Yeah it is pretty awesome.” She agreed. “But just so you don’t think I’m incredibly lazy, I want you to know I didn’t sleep all afternoon. I did get _some_ work done.”

Like find out Moira Queen tried, and failed, to have her killed. Definitely not a lazy afternoon. At least, it wasn’t her book.

“Mhm sure you did.” Oliver said teasingly.

“You’re just jealous that I have an office and you don’t, just admit it Queen.” She retorted. Bantering with him was making her feel a little better.

The doors opened, and they stepped inside, Oliver speaking as they did.

“Okay, I am a little jealous.” He conceded. “But only because you have a nap couch and coffee maker. The stuff from the break room is just awful.” He pressed the button for the garage floor and the doors slid closed.

She was glad it was just the two of them in the elevator. Felicity wasn’t sure if she could handle being in such a tight space with strangers right now. Not when the memories of what happened were fresh in her mind again.

“Suck it up, Detective Queen. Bad coffee comes with the gig.”

“You’re only saying that because you don’t have to drink it.” Oliver complained. It was the closest to whining she’d ever heard from him.

“I’ll tell you what, you can use my coffee maker whenever you want. Free of charge as long as you don’t leave old filters in it and bring me a cup when you use it.” She bartered, smiling up at him.

He grinned back. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

The doors opened to the parking garage. As she was stepping out of the elevator, her shoe caught on the slight gap between the ground and the elevator bay and she stumbled. Oliver reached out to steady her, a hand on her waist and another on her upper arm. Felicity tensed and pulled away from him immediately. She didn’t mean too but it was a reflex, especially after the barrage of memories floating in her head all afternoon. Felicity was doing the best she could to beat them back, but one wrong move and they’d consume her.

Oliver didn’t react to her own reaction to his touch, just dropping his arms to his sides. “You okay?”

“Fine,” She said, then cringed at how high pitched her voice sounded. “Sorry, guess I’m still a little out of it from earlier.”

Oliver didn’t say anything, only making a non-committal hum of acknowledgement in his throat. Felicity grimaced. She didn’t men to hurt his feelings by pulling away so fast, it just happened. Sometimes she couldn’t handle people touching her and today was one of those days.

She felt her anger intensify, burning her up like someone threw gas on a fire. It was all Moira Queen and Kent Samuels fault that she couldn’t even stand normal human contact anymore without cringing. It wasn’t fair. They did this to her, and since Samuels was in prison, she was going to get back at the one person she could, Moira.

Oliver was quiet as she led them to her car, Felicity was as well because she didn’t know what to say. If she was to explain herself, she’d have tell way more than she wanted too right now. Finally, they reached her Mini Cooper. She clicked unlock on her keys and was about to reach for the door handle when Oliver got to it first. He opened the door for her, motioning with a nod of his head for her to get in.

She hesitated. “Listen, Oliver- “

“Hey, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. I’m fine. And it’s no big deal. Just go home and get some rest, okay?” Oliver said softly, a look in his blue eyes she couldn’t place. It was intense, whatever it was.

Felicity smiled at him, relieved. She was so glad he didn’t pester her for answers she wasn’t sure she was ready to give.

“Alright, goodnight Oliver. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She slid into the driver’s seat, tossing her purse into the passenger side.

“Goodnight Felicity. See you tomorrow.” He echoed, shutting the door and giving her a gentle smile.

She drove out of the parking garage, her mind focused on what she was going to do tonight, and it wasn’t going to be the rest Oliver suggested. Felicity wondered if when she saw him in the precinct tomorrow, she’d be in handcuffs for breaking and entering instead of being there to work.

“Better not get caught then.” She mumbled to herself.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay yall, thoughts? Who guessed it? Some of you guys got pretty close and I've teased it enough that I needed to tell some of what happened. I hope the way I chose to tell it was satisfying you wonderful readers.  
> There's more to her story and we'll find out more why Moira and Felicity dislike eachother even before Felicity found out what Moira did. Let's just say Moira definitely went full Moira in the aftermath of the attack. But the main take away is that Felicity is badass and a fighter and shes a survivor and she's gonna start to realize that too.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity does some sleuthing. She'd like to give her thanks to Veronica Mars for the inspiration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter and the next were orginally one chapter. But it was huuuuge so I split into two. This is the first part and I'm posting the other right after this one. I also did a lot of research on Jewish customs and superstitions so I hope I conveyed them properly in this chapter.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy it and thanks so much for reading! I'd love to hear yalls thoughts as always. (:

 

 

 

Felicity sat in her apartment going through camera feeds in the Glades that were close to the warehouse. Unfortunately, none of them were directly on or in the warehouse so she couldn’t see if there were guards or security features she needed to look out for. Whether or not that was intentional on Moira’s part or if the collapsing infrastructure of the Glades were to blame, she didn’t know. If the warehouse did have camera’s they weren’t accessible. The only way they wouldn’t show up in her search is if they were offline and only be accessible on site, but Felicity doubted that. It was hard to keep technology completely offline with no trace or signal, and it was especially difficult to keep it hidden from her, of all people.

 It would have been easier if Felicity knew what she was walking into, but she didn’t, so she was just going to have to do an old-fashioned stake out. At least she’d get to channel her inner Veronica Mars.

She pulled up the schematics for the warehouse. It was huge, with large hangar bay doors and only one other singular door entrance. There were no offices inside, it was all a huge open space. She assumed whatever was stored there had to be large as well with how large the hangar doors were. Felicity knew she wouldn’t be able to open the bay doors themselves, too much noise and way too heavy, so the door for regular entrance into the building would have to work. There weren’t even windows in the building.

For a moment, Felicity considered calling Roy to help her. He knew a thing or two about getting into places he wasn’t supposed to be. She may have grown up in the bad part of Vegas, but the only criminal acts she committed there were counting cards, not breaking and entering.

Felicity quickly dismissed the thought of Roy helping her. He was trying to do better, and she didn’t want to be the one to drag him back into the criminal life. Plus, she didn’t want to have to explain why she needed in or risk his safety in any way.

Getting in would have to be something she did on her own.

Felicity waited until ten o’clock before grabbing the back pack she stocked with a secure tablet, a USB cord, wire cutters, a screwdriver, gloves, a taser and a bottle of water. She wasn’t exactly sure what someone needed to commit B&E so she was mostly going off what’d she seen in heist movies and Veronica Mars. That went for her outfit too, black leggings, black t-shirt and a black hoodie.

Hardcore criminal she was not.

Since it was February, the weather was still chilly. The hoodie was meant to keep her warm and hopefully hide her identity just in case there were cameras or guards.

“ _Kein Ayin Hara._ ” Felicity muttered under her breath in Yiddish.

All it meant was ‘no evil eye’ to ward off bad spirits and harm. She may not be the best Jew because she didn’t go to Shabbat services like she should, but she did pick up a few phrases from her mother. A voice in the back of head said that sounded like Donna Smoak was urging her to find some red yarn and tie it around her wrist for good luck.

Felicity knew she definitely did _not_ have red yarn, so she just hoped that the Yiddish phrase was enough. She pulled on her sneakers and grabbed her car keys.

 

**

 

Felicity sat in her Mini Cooper a little down the street from the warehouse. From what she could see, it seemed empty. She used her tablet to search for any radio frequencies and camera’s in or around it.

Nothing.

That meant no guards, and no camera system. Well, she was at least ninety percent sure there wasn’t any. Felicity couldn’t decide if that boded good or bad luck for what she would find. Either it wasn’t anything important so there was no need for security, or it was so important that no one except Moira Queen herself knew whatever was it in it was there.

Felicity took another quick look around the street to make sure no one was around before getting out of her car. She shifted the pack back strap onto one shoulder and lifted the jacket hood to cover her face. She walked briskly down the empty street taser in hand, her head on a swivel. She needed to certain she wasn’t going to be surprised by anyone.

Felicity reached the warehouse without issue, climbing the steps that led to the door. There was no handle. But next to it was a small panel on the wall that housed a key pad, USB port, and a light that was held a steady red glow.

Felicity let out a breath of relief. Thank god it wasn’t a physical lock, she had no idea how to pick one, but she could definitely hack into one.

She set down her bag, pulled on her gloves and grabbed out her tablet. She plugged one end of the USB cord into her tablet and the other into the port on the keypad. Typing quickly, she set up a decryption algorithm to decode the lock. Within seconds, the light changed to green and she heard the door latch release then it cracked open several inches.

Felicity ignored that for a moment as she stared in incredulity at the password chosen.

Robert?

Really?

Part of her was offended because Moira Queen resorted to actual murder to hide the secret of whatever the Hell was in the warehouse, but she couldn’t choose a better password to protect it than the name of her dead husband? That was like someone choosing their own birthday as the password to their bank account.

On the brightside, if all of Moira secrets were as easily discovered as the passwords she chose to protect them, then it was going to be easy to find all the evidence Felicity needed to put her away.

Shaking her head in disbelief at the ridiculousness of it, she unplugged the cord and put away her tablet. Felicity held her taser in a firm grip as she opened the door slowly. She was fairly certain there wasn’t anyone else here, but better safe than sorry. She looked in both directions on the street before stepping in all the way. Inside, the warehouse was pitch black. Felicity stood completely still, holding her breath and straining her ears to listen for any sounds of guards.

Nothing.

Satisfied that she was the only one in the warehouse, she loosened her grip on the taser. She fumbled her free hand across the wall searching for a light switch. She found one and flicked it on.

“Holy shit.” Felicity gasped.

She stood on a platform with a railing and more steps that led down to the warehouse floor. The floor that was covered in the battered remains of the Queen’s Gambit. The same boat that was supposedly lost in the North China Sea with Robert Queen’s body.

Suddenly, the password made a lot more sense.

Felicity made her way down the steps, taking her phone out to record what she saw. There was no way she was going to risk leaving without photographic evidence. She moved to edge of the where the ship was in pieces, recording the name on the side that was still legible but fading. The yacht was literally split in half, right down the middle, almost as if someone had picked it up and snapped it in half. She walked towards the center of the split, recording the whole way.

Felicity frowned as she observed the way the wood was splintered. It went outwards, and was blackened, like something had charred it.

But that didn’t match what the official story was.

Allegedly, it had gone down in a storm in the North China Sea however there was absolutely no way lightening could have caused damage like that.

Maybe it was what Moira was trying to hide?

It could have been foul play, so she tried to cover it up. Felicity wasn’t sure if that made sense, because what motive did Moira Queen have to kill her husband?

Through the wreckage, Felicity spotted a table set up on the other side of the yacht. There were pieces of wreckage scattered across the tabletop. She walked around the boat as fast as she could without running. Felicity had barely gotten within three feet of the table before she realized what was on it.

“Holy shit, again.” Felicity exclaimed. Dimly, she recognized she talked to herself way too much.

Spread across the table were wires, a dirty white clay like substance, and pieces of plastic that resembled a denotator. Felicity knew wires and she knew technology.

It was, without a doubt, parts of a bomb.

She figured that the dirty white substance was C4 that survived, along with the other various parts of the bomb. An explosion would explain why the wood looked like it splintered outwards, and why it was charred. The blast and fire from the bomb caused it. It was official.

What happened to Robert Queen wasn’t an accident. It was definitely foul play, which brought on a whole new set of questions.

Why would Moira bring back the evidence of the boat and the bomb if she could have just kept it at the bottom of the sea and no one would have been the wiser? Why store the damning evidence in a warehouse for three years? Why not destroy it? It was purchased in 2009 and it was 2012 now, it made no sense.

And if it wasn’t her doing, why cover it up? Why send someone to try and kill Felicity for discovering it? If Moira was innocent, then it wouldn’t matter.

Felicity had more questions now than she did before.

She took a closer look at the table and started to take pictures of everything on it. She reached forwards, her gloved hand turning over a larger piece of plastic, so she could take a picture of the other side. Underneath was a tattered leather-bound book, it was small, enough so that it could fit into a man’s pocket. There was some kind of symbol embossed on the front of intersecting lines.

Weird.

She set aside the plastic and picked up the book. Felicity flipped through the pages but besides some slight water damage, it was empty. Nothing was written inside.

Yet another thing that didn’t make sense. Why put aside an empty book with the evidence of a bomb?

It had to mean something, especially the symbol on the front. Felicity hesitated. She needed to take it with her and not just take pictures of it because she wanted to take a closer look at the pages. But if she took it and it was discovered missing by Moira, then she’d know something was up. Then again, the warehouse had been here for 3 years already, she doubted Moira would come back and check.

Making her decision, she put the book in her back pack. She needed to look closer at it.

Felicity finished taking pictures of the parts on the table and went to leave. Taking one last look at the wreckage, she walked out the door.

 

**

 

A few hours later, Felicity sat on her apartment’s couch looking at all the footage she took and scouring over the book. There had to be something she was missing, and she had a gut feeling it had to do with the book. But she didn’t know what it was.

She started replaying Moira’s first and only visit to her in the hospital after the attack on a loop in her head. Moira came to her not even a full day after the attack, even the police had given her longer to recover before coming to take her full statement. Something Moira said had to be a clue. Why else would she confront Felicity before she had a chance to talk to the police? There had to be something Moira did or said that could tell her where to look next.

Then it clicked.

“It was a test.” She murmured to herself.      

Moira was seeing what, and how much, Felicity knew. She told Felicity that she was well aware of the ‘personal projects’ Felicity worked on with Walter, but she didn’t mean an affair like Felicity had assumed at the time, she meant the warehouse and the missing 2.6 million.

Of course, since she’d never speak about it directly, using a phrase with a double meaning she’d be able to hint to her true purpose. If Felicity knew then what she knew now about what those ‘personal projects’ were, she would have known exactly what Moira was referencing. By Felicity not mentioning the missing money and jumping to an affair instead, Moira must have known that she was in the clear and Felicity was none the wiser about Tempest, the $250,000 pay off, or the warehouse.

Felicity felt a flush of anger at herself creep up on her face. To be fair, she hadn’t been on her game since it was so soon after the attack. But if she had just kept her mouth shut and let Moira keep talking then maybe she would have realized sooner what Moira planned.

She stared at the pictures and video footage of the Gambit’s wreckage until her eyes started to burn from exhaustion. Felicity took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes tiredly. If she didn’t go to sleep soon she wasn’t going to be able to make it through work tomorrow.

Too tired to move from her couch, she set her glasses on the coffee table next to the book and laid down. She pulled the dark green knitted blanket that usually rested on the back of her couch over her. Letting out a yawn, Felicity set her alarm for the morning.

Well, it was morning now, so really it was more like an alarm to wake up in four hours.

Yay.

She closed her eyes and was asleep quickly.

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity promises to tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help her Google.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is the second part. Its super long. We get dark and angsty in here. Wanna give a warning about that. 
> 
>  
> 
> TW: this chapter includes some descriptions of violence, and non con situations. Nothing super graphic but it is described. 
> 
> I want everyone to be warned before reading. As always, thank you for reading and I hope this doesnt get too dark and twisty for you wonderful readers. 
> 
> Any comments and kudos would be greatly appreciated!

 

Felicity woke up to the sound of her alarm blaring. Too sleepy to open her eyes, she went to reach to shut it off, but her arm was pinned down to her side. Panic surged through her veins. Her eyes shot open and she sat straight up, the blanket she had used last night fell from her shoulders to free her arm. She raised a shaking hand to her chest and took deep breaths. Felicity felt the racing of her heart underneath her palm.

 “The blanket just got caught and was wrapped around you. You’re okay. Calm down.” Felicity said to herself, her voice uneven.

It was almost the anniversary of the attack, so recently her nerves had been beyond frayed and she was jumpy all the time, as if that wasn’t enough, she’d also been getting recurring nightmares.

It frustrated Felicity to no end.

She felt so out of control but focusing on Moira Queen gave her a goal. She hoped that turning all of her attention on that would give her a sense of calm or purpose. Felicity didn’t care which, as long as it would distract her mind. She was able to settle the quick beats of her heart down a few minutes later, but with the adrenaline that flooded her system, Felicity was now wide awake.

With a groan, she made her way to her bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. She wasn’t looking forward to it. All she wanted was to stay home and learn as much as she could.

 

**

 

Oliver glanced down at his empty coffee cup. It was almost lunch time, and he had drunk two cups of the coffee from the break room because Felicity had been shut up in her office all morning with the door closed and he didn’t want to interrupt her work just to use her coffee pot.

Felicity seemed overwhelmed last night when he walked to her to her car and he hoped that if he didn’t bother her she’d be able to finish whatever she was doing, and she’d be back to her usual cheery demeanor.

Oliver felt so guilty last night whenever he’d grabbed her to stop her from stumbling, he wasn’t going to let her fall but maybe he should of done something else. As innocent as the touch was it obviously made her uncomfortable and he never wanted to make her feel that way. Oliver resolved himself to keep the physical boundaries between them. He had meant it when he said she didn’t have to explain herself to him, if something made her feel awkward or uncomfortable, then that was enough. Felicity didn’t need to give him a reason why if she didn’t want to tell him.

But it didn’t stop him from wondering why she had tensed and pulled away so quickly. He wasn’t stupid, he was a former solider, and he could recognize symptoms of PTSD and anxiety in someone. Hell, he had his own issues to deal with after Hong Kong. Dig had helped him get through a lot after it. Oliver didn’t like to think of what could have caused that in her, because none of them were good. It could have just been that he’d startled her, he’d noticed she startled easily, but she hadn’t been doing that as much with him anymore. Lunch with her had been a nice time and he thought she felt the same.

Something must have happened yesterday when they’d gotten back that triggered it. 

Maybe the cyber crime case she said she was working on was especially bad. They did work in law enforcement after all, and they saw horrors every day. If that was what was going on, then she’d probably want a break. A coffee break might help.

At least, that’s how he justified it to himself.

Oliver grabbed his empty cup and headed to her office. He knocked on the door with his free hand.

“Coming! One second.” Felicity’s muffled voice called through the door. He heard the sound of her desk drawer closing and a lot of movement, before it opened a moment later. Felicity looked up at him in surprise, and something else he couldn’t read, before she placed a cheerful smile on her face. “Hi, Oliver. What’s up?”

He shook his empty coffee cup. “I was hoping I could bother you for some good coffee?”

“Oh. Yeah, of course. Come in.” She waved her hand, inviting him in.

Oliver noticed she was wearing those same panda flats again and her hair was curlier than usual. She still looked as pretty as she usually did, but she was wearing pants instead of a skirt and a simple blouse. He’d never seen her wear anything except a skirt and he wondered if her more laid-back appearance was an effect of what was bothering her last night.

But he also knew better than to comment on her appearance or asked why she looked tired. That question wouldn’t end well for him.

“Thanks. If you show me where it is, I’ll make us both some.” He offered.

Felicity pointed to the small storage closet door next to the couch.

“Right through there. I keep water and snacks and stuff in there so if you’re hungry feel free to take what you want. If you are, hope you aren’t in the mood for peanut butter. I’m allergic to nuts so everything has to be nut free for me.” She cringed in embarrassment. “I did not mean to rhyme that, and it was also more information than you asked for so I’m gonna stop talking now.”

He grinned a little at her. A ramble was a good sign. Maybe she was in a better headspace than last night.

“I already knew you were, so it wasn’t an information overshare. But no worries, I’m not hungry.” Oliver smiled in amusement.

Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. “How did you know I was allergic to them?”

“John mentioned it when we picked up Big Belly for dinner when we were working the Lawton case.” He explained.

“I can’t believe you remembered that.” Felicity said, disbelief in her tone.

Now it was Oliver’s turn to be surprised.

“Why wouldn’t I remember that? It’s a pretty important thing to remember. We’re a team.” He said simply, as if that explained it all.

But to him, it did. Oliver was used to working in a unit. He knew almost everything about the other members in his Army unit, he had too in order for them to function cohesively. That applied here at the SCPD too. Felicity and John were Oliver’s teammates. They worked in close proximity with each other, which meant sharing meals sometimes, there’s no way he’d ever forget something so important. He never wanted to put her in danger, even unintentionally, by something as simple as food. 

“Oh.” Felicity said, her voice quiet. A look of guilt crossed over her face, but he couldn’t figure out what had caused it.

Once again, he felt like he was missing something. Just as he did when Walter visited yesterday. Felicity avoided eye contact with him and went over to her desk. She grabbed her own coffee cup off it, a pink mug with a cat face. She held it out to him and he accepted it wordlessly.

“Part of the bargain was that you make me coffee too. So, get to it Detective, two creams and three sugars.” Felicity teased, her voice was light, but Oliver could tell it was a conscious effort on her part to sound that way.

However, he did as she asked, busying himself with setting up the coffee pot.

 

**

 

Felicity stomach was in knots. She hadn’t realized the full scope of what she had found last night until Oliver knocked on her door. When she looked up into his eyes as he gave her an easy smile with a hopeful expression while he asked for coffee, it hit her that this was his family’s secrets she was uncovering. His mother had knowledge of his father’s death and was instrumental in a conspiracy to commit murder. Felicity had a feeling it wasn’t going to stop there. She knew she was going to eventually uncover more.  

She originally was going to keep everything to herself and work it alone, but then he called them a team and that thought went out the window. Felicity was hit with a train sized amount of guilt and felt like she needed to tell him. It wasn’t just her secret anymore, Oliver was involved to.

She knew he wasn’t connected in away to Moira’s attempt on her life or with the Gambit. The timelines didn’t add up for him to be involved. He was overseas serving. Not to mention she couldn’t picture the man he was before the military, the one in the tabloids, being complicit in the Machiavellian schemes his mother orchestrated.

But if she told him about Robert Queen and the Gambit, she’d have to come clean about everything, including her past. She didn’t want to tell Oliver about what happened to her and then him see her differently. Felicity didn’t want him to see her as a victim. She knew that was selfish because this was about the death of his father, yet she was still uncertain. Felicity knew it was cowardly, but she couldn’t help feeling that way.

Her own father had disappeared, and she’d do anything to learn anything about what happened to him and why he left. Sure, Robert Queen was presumed dead after the boat was considered lost at sea, but no one knew for certain because the authorities couldn’t find the boat. Now the boat was found and obviously sabotaged. Which all but confirmed his death. She could give Oliver some closure. She knew how badly she wanted that for herself.

Who was she to deny that for another person?

Felicity also didn’t want Oliver to end up hating her. If she told him everything, his entire world was going to come crashing down. It would probably destroy his relationship with his mother. She could empathize with feeling like the world was flipped upside down with no warning. It sucked.

It all went back to what he said, they were a team.

If Felicity was in Oliver’s position, she would want to know. It took her almost an entire year to find out the truth and she wished she had known sooner.

She was terrified to tell Oliver, but she refused to be a coward. Felicity was strong, she was a survivor, and she was going to tell him everything.

Felicity stared at his muscular, broad shoulders outlined in his white dress shirt, as he set about his task. He never seemed to be wearing his suit jacket, she noted absentmindedly. Oliver was graceful in his movements, a quiet strength and confidence in the way he moved. She took a deep breath, finding her own confidence.

“Oliver?” Felicity called out tentatively.

He turned around to face her. “Hmm?”

“I need to tell you something. But I can’t do it here.” She said, relieved her voice came out even, “Can you come to my apartment after work? We can talk there.”

Surprise crossed his face.

“Uh, sure.” Oliver agreed, but there was trepidation in his voice.

Then Felicity realized it may seem like she was coming onto him.

“I’m not trying to lure you into my apartment for like sex or anything. I really did just mean talking, in a platonic way.” Felicity added quickly.

The corner of his mouth quirked up. “You know, you keep stressing that you’re inviting me to platonic only activities. I’m starting to get a complex here.”

“No! You’re super attractive in a non-platonic way, but we’re coworkers and friends. It’s nothing against you, I don’t think you’re unattractive or trying to pull something non-platonic. We’re a team. And team’s do platonic activities, that’s all. My mouth just says stuff that sounds…not platonic sometimes so I have to clarify.” She rushed out, slightly mortified at what just poured out of her mouth.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard the word ‘platonic’ said so many times in one breath. It almost doesn’t sound like a word anymore.” Oliver said his lips turned up, betraying the faux thoughtful look on his face and showing his amusement.

Felicity blushed and rolled her eyes simultaneously. “Ignoring the use of the word, and my tendency to embarrass myself, will you come by tonight? It’s important.”

“Of course I will.” He nodded, seriousness in his eyes. “Does this have to do with case you were working yesterday?” 

“Yes.” Felicity said. It was only a half lie, she justified to herself. It was what she was working on yesterday, it just wasn’t an SCPD case.

Yet.

Soon enough, she’d gather enough evidence to bring to Lance’s attention.

The coffee pot beeped, signaling it was ready. Oliver turned back around and poured them both a cup. He handed her mug to her, and she took a sip.

“Thanks, Oliver. Do you want to just follow me home from the precinct or go home and change and then head over?” Felicity asked, trying to keep the nerves from her voice.

“Whatever you want.” Oliver said, something she could only describe as intense in his tone and dark blue eyes.

“I’ll text you my address and you can head over after stopping by home. Sound good?” She offered. Felicity needed that extra time to prepare herself emotionally and also change into the softest pajama’s she owned. If she was going to tell her terrible story she was going to be comfortable while doing it.

“Sounds good.” Oliver said, taking a sip of his own coffee. “I’ll see you later.”

“Later.” She echoed.

 

**

 

Felicity was nervously pacing her living room waiting for Oliver to arrive. She had changed into an old ratty pair of black yoga pants that had a small hole in the knee and a way too big for her long sleeved grey SCPD t-shirt with a mystery stain on the sleeve. She was pretty sure she stole it from Quentin when she stayed with him after getting out of the hospital. Basically, her clothes were soft, comfortable and she was using them like an armor. It was like a calming ritual for her. Felicity’s security blanket was her pajama’s.

Her phone buzzed, lighting up with a text.

_Oliver: here, heading up now_

She didn’t bother responding because she wasn’t sure if her shaking hands could even type a text back. A knock sounded on her door shortly afterwards. Felicity checked the peep hole, and saw Oliver standing in the hallway, his hands in his pockets. He was dressed casually in a grey Henley, brown jacket and jeans.

She couldn’t help but note how attractive he looked, even out of a suit. 

“Not the time for that.” Felicity muttered to herself, then unlocked the door and gestured for him to come inside. “Hey, Oliver. Long time no see.” She laughed nervously.

He quirked an eyebrow at her response but came inside anyways.

“You can have a seat on the couch. Are you thirsty? I have water. And alcohol. Also, I have lots of snacks, like mint chip ice cream. I have a feeling we’ll be needing it after this. Or at least, I will. But I have other snacks too, like-“ She started rambling, before he cut her off.

“Felicity,” Oliver said, but not unkindly, “You don’t have to keep offering me snacks. I’m not hungry or thirsty but thank you.” He moved over to the couch and took a seat.

“Oh. Okay.” She responded, a nervous pitch still in her voice.

“What did you need to talk about? You said it was about a case?” Oliver prompted gently, glancing down at the two SCPD case files on her coffee table with an expectant look on his face.

“Right.” Felicity said, sitting down on the couch. She sat on the far end, putting a cushion between them and her back to the arm rest. “It’s not exactly a case with the SCPD, yet. But, uhm, it kinda will be eventually and it also requires some back story for everything to make sense.” She took a deep breath.

Oliver kept quiet, giving her an encouraging look to urge her to continue.

“You know I used to work at QC but then I left?” She asked, waiting for him to nod before she continued. “Well, that wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to stay at QC, work my way up the corporate ladder and eventually head Applied Sciences. But I had this supervisor...” Felicity trailed off. She hadn’t said his name out loud in almost a year. If she had to speak about him, she said supervisor or spoke vaguely.

Felicity drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Oliver noticed her body language, his eyes flashing with concern. She couldn’t handle that right now. She needed to do this as detached and clinical as possible or else she wouldn’t be able to get through it.

She cleared her throat, starting again. “I had a supervisor and his name was Kent Samuels. He was one of the many men who couldn’t handle when a woman who looked like me was smarter than him. It happens, I was used to dealing with men like that being a female in a male dominated field. But then, he kept going too far. He would stop by my office and say inappropriate things and would always find a way to touch my back or shoulder and it got really creepy. I filed the first complaint with HR then. They told me that I was just misreading the situation and Samuels was a good supervisor.” Felicity let out a bitter laugh. “It was bullshit. Then he kept asking me out, even though I said no every time, but he kept asking. He said I was just ‘playing hard to get.’ So, I reported him to HR again. That time they had to speak with him. He got pissed, called me all sorts of names but then Walter Steele promoted me, and it got me out from working under Samuels.” She nervously pulled at the sleeves of her t-shirt.

“Hey, you don’t have to tell this if you don’t want too. Really.” Oliver said, his voice soft and full of concern but he made no move to physically comfort her. She was grateful.

“I have too. For it all to make sense, you need to know everything. You saying that just reaffirms I’m doing the right thing.” Felicity gave him a shaky smile.

“I’m not gonna lie, Felicity, I’m a little confused and worried about where this is all going and why you’re telling me.” He frowned.

“And I’m not going to lie either, there’s nothing good about what I’m telling you, so I’d really like to get it all over with.” She said honestly.

Oliver’s frowned deepened, concern etching throughout his face, but he nodded.

“I thought that the promotion was the best thing that could have happened to me. It was a major jump in my future goals and I was thrilled. Mr. Steele had asked me to look into other companies and the tech they developed, like Unidac, along with continuing some of the more important of my IT duties. I was ecstatic. Walter had also asked me to look into some private matters for him. I had agreed, happy that the CFO trusted me that much especially since I had just started the promotion. But… Samuels, he was pissed. He felt like I shouldn’t of been promoted over him. He couldn’t handle it. Or at least, that what I thought. So, one night as I was getting into my car in the parking garage, he put a gun to my head and told me to get in my car and start driving or else he was going to kill me.” She was surprised at how her voice sounded. It was flat and detached.

Oliver tensed, Felicity could see every muscle tightening with barely concealed rage. She eyed him warily. She didn’t need to him to ride in on his horse and try to white knight her, it was sweet, don’t get her wrong, but she survived, and she didn’t want his pity. That’s what she was afraid of.

“I can’t believe Queen Consolidated didn’t take action sooner. What did you do next?” He asked through a clenched jaw.

She was surprised, in a good way, at his response. It was nice to have him not offer sympathies that didn’t really change anything, he kept his words direct and to the point. Felicity appreciated that, especially because it was going to get worse.

“I didn’t get in the car. I’m not stupid, I’ve seen enough crime shows to know if I got in that car and went to a second location he’d probably do something terrible then kill me anyways. So, I swung my purse at him and it was enough to distract him for me to run, but I wasn’t fast enough. Samuels caught up to me, and he hit me in the head with the gun. I lost consciousness. When I woke up…” Her voice failed her, this was the hard part. She had only told all the details once before and that was to Lance as he took her statement. Even Sara only knew the outline of what happened from Felicity, not the full story. Sara probably could guess what had happened because she saw Felicity in the aftermath, but she wasn’t at the trial.

Felicity knew she may have trouble telling the rest of the story, so she had brought her case file about the attack and the evidence pictures they had taken at the hospital. The other file held the evidence of the $250,000 pay off and everything she found on Moira. She knew Oliver may not want to see them or know what happened to her in full, but he had to understand what his mother paid for. She felt guilty for it, however it needed to be done. She unwrapped her arms from around her legs and grabbed the case file from the coffee table with a shaking hand. She handed it to Oliver, who accepted it reluctantly.

“What’s this?” He asked, sounding like he really didn’t want to know.

“That’s everything that happened afterwards in full detail, along with pictures of evidence. I don’t think I’ll be able to talk about it all without full on sobbing. So, I was going to give the gist of what happened then have you look at that. You’re a cop. You’ve read witness statements before, so I thought it might be easier.” Felicity said nervously.

He hesitated, not opening it and meeting her eyes. “Are you sure you want me to see this?”

“I am. I need you to understand.” She responded, her voice soft.

“Okay. Then tell me what happened next.” Oliver said, his voice strong but gentle.

It was his cop voice, she realized. He probably used the same one when speaking to witnesses to take their statements. For some reason, that made it easier for her to keep going.

“He knocked me out and I woke up in my apartment.” She saw him glance around the living room. “Not this one, but my old one. I moved after what happened, I couldn’t stand to go back. It didn’t feel safe anymore… Then… Then I woke up in my bed with him on top of me and my hands bound to my headboard.” Her heartrate picked up and Felicity tried her best to calm it down. She looked away from his eyes, not wanting to see what his reaction would be.

Felicity stared the hole in the knee of her yoga pants. “All I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears and the sound of his breath. I tried screaming but he had taped my mouth shut. I panicked and tried to struggle to get him off of me but all I did was tear up my wrists until they bled. He just laughed, calling me names and telling me I deserved what he was going to do to me. Then he leaned back and stopped. I thought he changed his mind…but all he did was get up and go to the kitchen to get a knife because…” Her voice broke. She couldn’t keep up the cool detached tone from earlier.

“Oh, Felicity.” Oliver spoke, he sounded as upset as she was.

She took a deep breath. “Because my clothes were in the way. But when he was gone, I was able to feel a screw that was sticking out of the wood from the head board. The crappy head board I got from a yard sale literally saved my life. He came back, and he set the knife down on the bed when he was done cutting open my shirt. I was able use the screw to cut through the zip tie and got my hands free… I grabbed the knife and stabbed him before he could go any further. He fell on top of me, and I pushed him off and ran out of the apartment to get help.” Felicity couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her face. She didn’t look up from where she was staring at her knee, unable to see what his reaction would be.

“Felicity look at me.” Oliver asked thickly.

She didn’t.

“Felicity, _please_.” The way he said it was nearly begging, his voice threatening to break.

It was enough for her to look up and meet his eyes. What she saw was far from what she expected. They held sadness, but also admiration and a fierce determination.

“You did what you had to do to survive. Nothing you just told me is going to make me see you any differently. You’re a survivor, but you’re also the girl who wears animals faces on her shoes and calls me on my bullshit. What happened doesn’t define you. I know what it’s like to go through a physical and psychological trauma like that. And I know you don’t want my sympathies because they’re not going to change anything, but I _am_ sorry that happened to you. You didn’t deserve any of it and it wasn’t your fault. All that matters is that you persevered and survived. I’ve met soldiers who don’t have a quarter of your bravery and courage, or your ability to keep going.”  Oliver said passionately, nothing but honesty shining in his eyes.

Felicity was speechless. Everything he said was beyond what she hoped for and nothing she expected. She had assumed she’d receive pity, or worse, he wouldn’t know what to say. Tears streamed down her face.

“Hey, hey, did I say something wrong? I didn’t mean to upset you further.” He worried, gripping the file in his hand tightly.

She wiped her eyes using the sleeves of her t-shirt. Then Felicity hesitantly reached across the space between them and laid her hand on top of his. He relaxed his white knuckled grip on the file turning his hand over slowly, like he was giving her a chance to pull away, and gently held onto her much smaller hand. She didn’t pull away.

“You didn’t say anything wrong, you said everything right. Thank you.” Felicity squeezed his hand. “I still have more to go though. You can look through the file while I tell it.” She suggested, not releasing her grip on his hand.

It was his turn to take a deep breath. Using the hand that wasn’t in her own, he opened the file and she started talking.

“I ran to a neighbor, who called 911. It was Lance who responded to the scene first. That’s how we met. He was my rock through the worst of it. He eventually introduced me to Sara because she taught self-defense classes and he thought I could benefit from it. We’ve been best friends since.” Now came the Moira part she was dreading. “Anyways, Lance showed up and so did EMT’s. Samuels lived, but he was injured. But Lance wouldn’t let anyone treat him or take my statement before I was looked at first. They took me to the hospital to be treated.”

Oliver’s grip tightened on her hand. Felicity glanced down at what he was looking at in the file. It was the pictures they took of her injuries. It wasn’t pretty. She hadn’t told him every detail, she couldn’t bring herself to describe it. That’s why she needed him to see the statements and pictures.

“I was sitting in my hospital bed waiting on the police to show up again to take my statement when, to my surprise, Moira Queen walked through the door.”

His head jerked up from the file and he looked at her in shock. “What? Why was my mother there?”

“At the time, I thought she had heard of what happened and was trying to do damage control since she was CEO. That was a part of it, I guess. At first, she was kind. Asking if I was okay and what happened to Samuels. I thought she was genuinely worried, so I told her I was mostly okay, but he was alive and in police custody. Then, like a switch went off she said something along the lines of ‘being aware of the personal projects I did for her husband.’ I assumed she was insinuating I was sleeping with Walter. Which I wasn’t.” Felicity said, unable to keep the anger from her voice. “I got pissed. Told her everything I did at QC was above board and professional. That’s when she offered me $250,000 dollars for releasing a statement absolving QC of any fault and identifying myself as the victim. $250,000 seems to be the going rate for my life these days.” Felicity couldn’t help muttering under her breath. 

“Felicity, I… I don’t know what to say.” Oliver said, sounding upset.

She squeezed his hand again. “Don’t say anything yet. Let me finish.”

He nodded.

“I got even angrier and told her to get the Hell out because QC did have a part to play in what happened by not doing anything after I reported him time and time again. I also didn’t want to identify myself as the victim, because I didn’t want that to be all anyone saw when they heard my name or looked at me. Then the board found out what their CEO did, and they were afraid I was going to sue, so to appease me, they forced Moira to retire and put Walter in her place. I was never actually going to sue because I didn’t want all the attention or to draw things out for years, but I was happy that she had to leave. It felt like justice. And I ended up leaving too, even though they still wouldn’t let me out of my non-compete clause of my contract. I didn’t care to fight to it, I just wanted everything to go away. Then the trial happened, Samuels went to Iron Heights, and Lance hired me at the SCPD.” Felicity finally finished the first part of her story and looked to Oliver, silently telling him he could ask questions now.

“I don’t understand how I never heard about any of that. I was overseas sure, but I still kept in contact with my family. No one ever told me. And what happened to you would have made national news since it involved Queen Consolidated. If I had known…” Oliver started, sadness and guilt coating his words.

She let go of his hand. “There was nothing you could have done. It wasn’t your fault or your responsibility. You had no idea and you weren’t ever supposed too. Victims of violent crime, especially those that have a sexual aspect to them, can choose to keep their name out of the trial proceedings. The evidence was stacked against Samuels, so he plead guilty. He got life with a chance of parole after 25 years served. Lance and the DA told me that he probably wouldn’t get out because at the parole hearing they’d see he was a violent offender. Quentin had my name redacted on the reports and pulled strings to get the case sealed. He threatened the other officers who responded not to leak the story to the media. The DA was an old mentor of Laurels, I guess she interned under him in law school and post-grad before going to CNRI, so Lance asked him for a favor and the DA was able to get QC to agree not to release my name or anything about the attempt. Unlike Moira, the Board, and Walter, were happy to comply because they didn’t want the backlash. I don’t know what I would of done without all of Quentin’s help. I even stayed with him for a little while I searched for a new apartment.”

 Oliver was looking through her statement and the pictures in the file as she spoke, but as soon as she stopped talking, he looked up and closed the folder.

“I don’t understand. What changed? Don’t get me wrong, I told you that you could always talk to me and I meant it. But why are you telling me everything now? It seemed like you went through a lot of trouble to keep this a secret.” Oliver said cautiously, like he was trying to avoid saying the wrong thing.

Here it goes. “Yesterday, Walter Steele visited my office and asked me to look into one of the ‘personal projects’,” She put in sarcastic air quotes with her fingers, “that I didn’t get the chance to before I left. It was about a missing 2.6 million dollars from Queen Consolidated.”

Oliver took in a sharp breath, a look of realization crossing his face that had her confused and slightly worried.

He noticed her confusion and explained quickly, “I saw Walter yesterday as he was leaving, and he fed me some bullshit story about checking on the Lawton case. It didn’t feel right and now I know why. Someone was embezzling from Queen Consolidated?”

Felicity reached for his hand again, he didn’t hesitate, turning his over so they were palm to palm, his large, calloused fingers engulfing her hand. She focused on their hands, unable to look at him while she destroyed his world.

“Not someone. Your mom. Moira had explained away the money to Walter before, but he didn’t believe it, so he asked me to look into it again. Moira had authorized the money to be transferred to an offshore LLC called Tempest. It’s a company that doesn’t really exist except for the purpose of funneling money through and being shady. It only had two transactions on the account. Once in 2009 to purchase a warehouse in the Glades and another time in February 2011 to transfer $250,000 thousand dollars into a hidden account of one Kent Samuels. She paid him off to kill me because she thought I already knew about Tempest and the warehouse, but I didn’t. I never had the chance to look into it. Until now.” Felicity rushed to explain, not taking her eyes of their entwined hands.

Oliver didn’t release her hand, only holding on tighter. “I… Are you sure? I’m not trying to doubt your capabilities, but I need you to be sure about this. This…this is my mother we’re talking about.” He sounded gutted.

She didn’t take offense to his question, instead she reluctantly let go of his hand and reached for the second file on the table. Felicity held it out to him, but he didn’t take it like he did the last one.

“All the proof is in here. Everything. Including what I found in the warehouse…” Felicity whispered, finally looking at him.  

Oliver seemed heartbroken, his shoulders slumped, and his eyes filled with a mixture of disbelief, horror, and sadness. Finally, he took the folder. It was silent between them as he read it through it. She could see him getting closer to the back of the file where the pictures of the Gambit, the book, and the bomb were. Felicity knew she needed to warn him before he saw them. 

“Oliver,” Felicity called out, he looked up immediately, “Before you turn that page, you need to know what’s behind it… I found the Gambit, well I found the wreckage. It didn’t go down in a storm. A…A bomb caused it. There was no accident. I’m so, _so_ sorry.”

She didn’t think he could look any more destroyed until right then. His eyes shone with unshed tears as he met her gaze. Oliver didn’t say anything, just staring into her eyes a moment longer before he looked back down at the folder. He went through it slowly, she saw his eyes rove over the page over and over, like he wasn’t sure if he was reading it properly.

Minutes passed. Until finally, he closed the folder and set it back down on the coffee table using careful, controlled movements. His expression was blank and guarded as he released their entwined hands and leant away from her on the couch. Felicity didn’t know what to do. She’d figured he be angry, at her, at the world, at his family, she’d thought he started yelling or storm out. Not this.

But somehow it was worse.

Felicity had stopped being intimidated by Oliver a while ago, yet right now, she felt a slight tinge of unease. She didn’t know how to handle him like this. For maybe the first time Felicity could see why he made such a great Special Forces soldier. It seemed like he was able to completely shut down his emotions and compartmentalize.

Something she’d never been able to accomplish.

“Say something Oliver. You’re making me nervous.” Felicity said, wrapping her arms back around her knees.

He complied and said, “Did you know that I was going to get on the Gambit? Not alone either, Sara was meant to be there too.”

Her heart stuttered in her chest, and she shook her head no. She didn’t know that. Sara hadn’t told her that part.

“It’s true. I was sleeping with Sara behind Laurels back but then Laurel found texts on my phone about the plans to go and we started fighting. I managed to convince her not to leave me, but the ship was already gone, without me and Sara on it. But my father was. My mother knew about our plans too. That means she was willing to let not only my father, but her only son and someone else’s daughter die. She led someone to their death again when she tried to have you killed to cover up what she had done.” Oliver stated, a calm fury in his voice.

Felicity grimaced. “I’m not sure that Moira planted the bomb. It doesn’t make sense to me that she’d try and kill her husband or her son. Attempted murderer and being all around terrible person aside, Moira Queen loves her children and she loves her family. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do to protect them. It’s the reason she tried to kill me. She was afraid I found what was in the warehouse, she knew someone killed Robert and didn’t want to endanger the rest of her family. She’s definitely hiding something and protecting whoever planted that bomb, I just don’t know who or why, but I think it has to do with that symbol and the book I found.”

“Are you defending her?” He asked in incredulity, raising his voice.

“What? No, of course not. What she did was horrible. All I’m saying is that people don’t do things without a reason. Samuels didn’t attack me because he hated me, sure it was a part of it, but he needed the $250,000 in order to actually do it. Robert Queen was killed for a reason and if your mother’s hiding the real reason why then it has to be something really, really, bad.” Felicity explained, slightly defensive.

Oliver stared at her a moment longer, that same guarded expression in his eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Felicity gave him a weak smile. “Hey, you don’t have to apologize to me. Your world just got turned upside down. If you wanna yell or smash things, go ahead. I’m the one who should be sorry, I did the turning. But I felt like you deserved the truth. And I didn’t like lying to you.” She admitted.

His façade dropped, and Oliver looked at her in nothing but sincerity. “Felicity, as awful as the truth is, I’m glad you told me. I’m so grateful I have someone in my life who tells me the truth no matter how much it sucks… No one else seems to do that. I always want you to be honest with me, just like I am with you.”

Felicity felt like a weight was lifted off her chest. Deep down she was terrified he was going to come out of this hating her. She never wanted that.

“Thank god. I really didn’t know what to expect. But we’re in this together now, we’re the only two people who know besides those involved and I want to keep it that way. Will you help me find out more?” She asked nervously.

“I will. I need to know what happened.” Oliver said, a tinge of desperation in his voice. He added hesitantly, “I don’t think we should tell John yet. I don’t want to put him in danger, not until we know more.”

“I agree. It stays between us until we know more.” She repeated, like it was a promise. “So, what now?”

A fierce look crossed his face, tightening his jaw and lighting up his eyes.

“Now, we take down whoever else is involved. They aren’t going to get away with this.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is what i mean when I said it wasnt a total lighthearted story and we discuss darker themes. I wont be going super graphic or anything but this is about the level we stay with the darker themes. I was nervous about posting it because I just hope I told her story properly, genuinely and respectfully, because Felicity is a strong badass. She was strong before what she went through and all it did was showcase her strength. 
> 
> I'd love to hear what yall thought in the comments. And thanks again for reading and sticking w me. (:


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Felicity makes Oliver take off his clothes (platonically).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so sorry for the late update. I know, I'm the worst. But life got a little crazy this past week for me and I didn't have a lot of time to write. :( I had a bit of writers block as well but I did have a lot of fun writing one of the scenes in here, can you guys guess which one? that being said, I'm still not thrilled with this chapter. It didnt come out the way I expected but oh well, I tried hahah. I just think after the build up of the last two chapters and finding out what happened to Felicity, I got a little frustrated trying work out the aftermath because I knew exactly how I wanted the scenes of her telling him to go but I was a little less clear on the morning after part lmao. anyways if you're still reading this authors note thanks for listening to my rant! 
> 
> As always, I love to hear yalls thoughts as you read so any comments or kudos would be so very wonderful and appreciated! Hope you guys enjoy!!

 

 

Oliver laid in bed at his apartment, staring at the ceiling fan as it turned round and round. He couldn’t sleep. He’d been at home trying to fall asleep for hours, he even had to get up for work soon but every time he closed his eyes, he saw the pictures of Felicity’s injuries and the wreckage of the Gambit.

Oliver couldn’t stop seeing either of them.

The deep cuts on each of her wrists from where her hands were bound, the bruises littered across her arms, chest and thighs, most in the shape of fingers, there was even a bite mark on the inside of her thigh in one photo. An open, bleeding wound on her head from being hit with the gun. Pictures of ripped clothes spread out on a table with evidence numbers besides them. A bloody knife in another one.  

It made him feel sick to his stomach and _so_ angry. Angry at his mother, at Kent Samuels, at the universe for being so cruel to such a good person.

All of Felicity’s jumpiness, mistrust of strangers and all the other things he noticed made a terrible kind of sense. Knowing what she went through, seeing the aftermath, filled his veins with fury and guilt because her pain was at his own mother’s hands. Oliver knew Felicity didn’t blame him, but he blamed himself. Maybe if he hadn’t run from all his problems when the Gambit sank, he would have been able to do something to help her or stop any of it from happening.

Felicity didn’t deserve what happened to her. Oliver wasn’t naïve, he knew his father wasn’t a good man. Robert Queen was a cheater, a liar, and a ruthless business man. So, maybe it made Oliver a terrible person, but on some level, he could at least understand why someone would want to target his father, he could even rationalize it. The discovery of the Gambit and the knowledge that came with it, Robert Queen was dead from foul play, didn’t hit him as hard as it probably should’ve. Maybe he was numb to death at this point after everything he’d seen, and done, while serving.

But it had been so long since his father died, and Oliver had long accepted his absence from his life, even before the Gambit sunk, he wasn’t particularly present in Oliver’s life. At least, not in the way a parent should be. He wasn’t a good parent, and he wasn’t a good person. Seeing the Gambit in pieces confirmed all of those thoughts for Oliver.

Robert Queen wasn’t an innocent man. Neither was Moira Queen.

Felicity was innocent.

She was hurt because she got entangled in his family’s drama. All of the bad in her life was caused by the Queen family and she deserved none of it. He didn’t get why Felicity wasn’t angry at him too, or why she still trusted him. Oliver didn’t deserve her forgiveness or her trust. Not after the pain his family caused her. He wasn’t sure if he’d able to let something like that go if he was in her shoes. Oliver didn’t even think he was ever going to be able to forgive his own mother for what she had done.

But Felicity was better than he was. She still had hope and tried to see the best in people, in him. Like the night in the hospital. Felicity made him want to be better, do better.

Oliver used to be a selfish man, and maybe it was that same selfish part of him that couldn’t let her go and tell her to stay far away from him and his family. Queens only ever hurt people, their own included, and he didn’t want to cause her any more pain, but he also didn’t think he could let her go. He needed the kind of light she brought in his life.

After everything she told him, Oliver was in awe of her ability to still remain so vibrant and full of life. His own past, and the things he’d done had only pulled him further into the darkness. To see her, to know that someone could go through so much pain and trauma and still be full of light, it gave him hope.

She gave him hope.

A new a kind of strength, something he could only describe as primal, flowed through him. It was an intense urge to protect her, protect the light inside her that she shared so freely. He knew that no matter where this investigation took them, no matter what they discovered, he would keep her safe and out of harms way.

Even if that meant protecting her from his own family. He’d do whatever it took.

He understood Felicity needed to figure out the mystery behind what happened to her and why, Oliver felt the same way. He’d never keep her from finding the answers. All he wanted was her safety and happiness, and if those answers were what she needed he’d do whatever he could to get them.

Being pitied against his own mother made his chest feel tight, but at this point, Oliver wasn’t even sure if he wanted her as his mother. He had known Moira Queen was protective of her family, but he refused to accept the lengths she would go for them. She had sent an innocent person to their death just for having even the slightest knowledge of one of those secrets. The Queen family and all their secrets weren’t more important than everyone else in Starling City, regardless of what his mother thought.

Oliver didn’t know why she would keep the truth of the Gambit locked away, whatever or whoever, it was had to be big enough to scare her into keeping quiet. Which didn’t bode well for him and Felicity, because if something, or someone, was terrifying enough to intimidate Moira Queen, then they had a huge problem on their hands.

**

Oliver held back a yawn as he sat as his desk. He hadn’t seen Felicity yet that morning, Oliver had a breakthrough on one of the piles of unsolved cases on his desk, a burglary at liquor store in the Glades (a previous disgruntled employee was the culprit) so he had been busy. He was finishing up the arrest report when he heard his name being yelled across the bull pen. It was really starting to become an unwelcome habit for Lance to scream his name in order to get Oliver to join him in his office. The other detectives and officers around his desk looked at him with pity, nothing good usually came from their Capitan when he used that tone of voice.

Oliver didn’t really care, he had bigger concerns than Quentin Lance at the moment.

With a sigh, he pushed himself back in his chair and stood up. He walked towards where Capitan Lance was standing in his doorway with his arms crossed impatiently.

“Yes, Capitan?” Oliver said, not bothering to hide his irritation.

Lance arched an eyebrow but didn’t remark on his tone. “Have a seat in my office, I’ll be with you shortly.”

Oliver nodded, and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Lance’s desk. A few moments later, Capitan Lance returned with Felicity trailing behind him. Of course, Lance would scream bloody murder to order Oliver to his office but personally deliver Felicity from her office to his own.

Dread hit Oliver as he was suddenly bombarded with flashbacks of his teenage self being given the ‘hurt my daughter and I’ll hurt you’ talk by a younger version of Lance. Felicity gave him a smile that settled his nerves.

“Don’t worry, this time it’s not about you. I asked on the way over.” She whispered in his ear as she sat down, her warm breath sending goosebumps down the back of his neck.

He tried to smile back at her, but he was distracted by the feeling she had just caused in him.

“Alright so I called you both in here today to discuss the Declan case,” Lance began, “Laurels been working on it as you both know, and I think she might be on to something but she’s not a cop and she’s stumbling onto some dangerous stuff. I wanna ask for a favor from both of you to look into it and see if Declan truly is innocent.”

Oliver instant reaction was to say no, because of the way Laurel acted the last time he saw her but before he could speak, Felicity started talking.

“You know I’d do whatever you asked. But why me and Oliver? I’m not a cop either, and you hate him.” She cringed, gesticulating wildly with her hands, “I mean, of course you don’t _hate_ him, but you’re not very nice to him. Then again he did cheat on one of your daughters with the other one, so I can totally see why but-,“ Oliver stopped her ramble by gently grabbing one of her flying hands and releasing it just as quickly.

Felicity mouthed ‘sorry’ to him with a sheepish smile. He saw Lance furrow his eyebrows and frown at the physical contact, but he didn’t say anything.

“What Felicity means is that picking me to look into this seems pretty odd, especially after the lecture you gave me after Laurel first stopped by.” Oliver translated Felicity’s babble. She nodded her agreement.

Lance sighed. “I know. But you’re new around here, so you weren’t around for Camille Declan’s murder investigation which is why I want you looking into it. Fresh, unbiased eyes. I also want it kept quiet, I don’t want to cause any discontent with the others by re-opening the case.”

It made sense to Oliver, but he was still hesitant to agree. He had so much on his plate already that taking on more sounded impossible, especially since it involved the Lance’s it was bound end in some type of drama.

“Okay, I understand why Oliver. But what did you need me for?” Felicity asked.

“Laurel said that Camille Declan emailed her supervisor and set up a meeting with him about toxic chemicals that Jason Brodeur’s company was allegedly dumping in the Glades. That accusation was what Peter Declan’s defense rested on, he said that Brodeur had his wife killed because she knew too much. Her supervisor, Matt Istook, said it never happened and Peter Declan was just using Brodeur Chemical as a scapegoat. The SCPD never found any evidence of the email or meeting existing, but that was before we had you sweetheart.” Capitan Lance said, giving Felicity a kind smile.

Felicity froze momentarily. Oliver knew her reaction was because of the similarities to her own situation, and it hit a little too close to home. Another woman who was hurt because she knew something she wasn’t supposed too. That was all he needed to make his decision.

“I’ll help too.” He jumped in, trying to give Felicity a moment to recover, “As long as you tell Laurel to stay out of it. If that’s really what happened, Brodeur won’t hesitant to hurt her if she gets too close either.”

As much as he didn’t want to help because Laurel would find some way to insert herself in the investigation when she inevitably found out, he knew Felicity would investigate it and he’d rather be there to watch her back if it did get dangerous.

Lance turned his attention back to Oliver, “I already told her to drop it. But we all know Laurel doesn’t listen to me.” The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, but Oliver knew he was referring to the time when he dated her.

“I’ll see what I can find. But I can’t exactly go snooping in Matt Istook’s computer and cell phone without a warrant.” Felicity chimed in, her composure regained.

“Assistant District Attorney Donner is coming by shortly with a warrant. He owes me a favor. So, you can do all the snooping you want.” Capitan Lance said, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. 

Felicity groaned. “Really? Him of all people? He’s such an ass.”

Oliver looked at Felicity in amusement, he wished she could be in all his meetings with their Captain. She made them much more bearable.

Lance frowned at her. “What? Why?”

“Last time I saw him, he thought I was your secretary, called me a pet name and asked me to get him a coffee. When I told him that I wasn’t and I wasn’t ever getting anyone coffee, especially him, he just laughed and told me I was ‘feisty’ and tried flirting with me. He’s a jerk.” Felicity explained, rolling her eyes.

Oliver tensed, glaring at Lance, who wore his own angry look.

“Why didn’t you tell me that before? I would have set him straight.” Lance said, his voice gruff.

Felicity just shrugged, “Not the first time stuff like that has happened. I can handle it on my own.”

“I know, sweetheart but you don’t have to handle it on your own. Has it happened here? Have any of my officers been disrespectful to you?” Lance demanded, anger flashing in his eyes.

Felicity looked slightly amused and also like she regretted saying anything, “No, not really. I think they’re all pretty terrified of you Quentin.”

He made an unhappy noise. “They better be. And you better tell me if any of them step outta line with you.”

“I know you’re just being an overprotective worry wart because you love me, which is why I’m going to let it slide just this once, and say I love you too. But if you say anything else, I will use some of the moves Sara taught me on you.” Felicity threatened lightly, a teasing look on her face. “It’s the 21st century and I don’t need you to defend my honor.”

Lance looked properly chastised. Oliver snorted in laughter, and Lance turned a glare on him. 

“How do you want to proceed from here Detective?” Lance asked hotly.

Oliver had a feeling it was more of a test than actual curiosity. He thought for moment.

“I don’t want Istook or Brodeur to know we’re onto them. I think I should pick up Istook from his office and Felicity can plant something on his work computer to gain access, maybe even put a bug, then bring him back to the station. We can have him check his phone and go through it while I question him. I’ll play it like I don’t actually believe Peter Declan, and that it’s more a formality before his execution than anything else.” Oliver explained, feeling confident in his plan. He turned to Felicity, “You’d have to come with me into the field, are you okay with that?”

She nodded, meeting his gaze. He saw a flash of excitement in her blue eyes.

“Yep. I’ve never done field work before. But I can do you one better, you don’t even have to bring Istook back to the station. As long as I’m in the same room as him, I have a program that can scan any phone within a certain range and clone it. The computer is just as easy, all I have to do is place this piece of tech I designed about yay big,” Felicity spread her index and thumb about half an inch apart, “on the tower and boom, we’ll get access. No need to bring him into the station and risk another officer recognizing him or catching on to what we’re doing.”

Oliver blinked at her. “I know I should stop being surprised by your abilities, but wow.”

Felicity grinned at him and he couldn’t help but match the smile. Capitan Lance cleared his throat, breaking the moment.

“Alright, fine. I don’t really like the idea of Felicity in the field-, “ Lance started, raising his voice slightly when Felicity tried to interject, “But I understand it’s the best plan. You both wait until Donner drops by with the warrant so we can cover our ass, then head out. Be careful and keep me updated.”

Oliver nodded, standing up. Felicity stood as well, and he motioned with his hand for her to walk ahead of him to the exit.

“Such a gentleman,” Felicity said sarcastically over her shoulder at him. He ignored the playful jibe, knowing that Lance was observing them with watchful eyes.

He followed her to her own office, shutting the door behind them.

“What’s up?” Felicity asked, a curious expression on her face.

“I just wanted to check in with you. I know last night was...” Oliver trailed off, searching for the word and finally settling on, “rough.”

Felicity gave an unladylike snort. He found it unbearably cute.

“That’s an understatement. I didn’t really sleep much.” She admitted. “Too many memories. But honestly, besides that, I feel kind of relieved. It’s really nice to have someone know it all and have my back in all this crazy.” A small, grateful smile pulled at her bright pink painted lips.

“I didn’t sleep much either.” He said truthfully, “Same reasons as yours. And I just can’t wrap my head around what my mothers done. I keep thinking about why she would go so far, but I can’t think of anything.”

Felicity perked up suddenly, and rounded the corner of her desk, opening the top drawer. She pulled out the book and handed it to Oliver.

“I’ve been thinking about that too, and I have this feeling that our answer is in that book. Feel the pages, doesn’t something seem off to you? I noticed it last night after you left when I couldn’t sleep.” She said, her eyebrows drawing together in puzzlement.

He did as she asked, opening the cover and running his fingers along the pages. Oliver didn’t feel anything besides the weathered paper which was slightly wrinkled from water damage.

“It just feels like water damage.” Oliver spoke echoing his thoughts, his fingers still running across the pages.

Felicity shook her head. “It feels like something was written there to me. Maybe the ink was washed away from the ocean water?” She suggested, thinking out loud. “If that’s the case, I have a guy in the CSI unit who owes me a favor and I can borrow some equipment to find out what was written.”

Oliver looked closer at the book, rubbing a singular page between in his fingers, that’s when he felt it, an impression in the paper.

“You’re right. There was something written here.” Oliver said, then he was struck with a memory from his childhood.

When he and Tommy were twelve, Oliver found a pen in his father’s office that wrote in invisible ink. The only way for the ink to show up, after it dried, was from heat. They used to play pranks on their teachers by turning in assignments half way written with the pen so when their teachers went to grade it most of the words would disappear. Oliver cursed under his breath. Maybe this was written in that same ink?

It was a long shot, but if it worked…

“Do you have a lighter?” He asked, wincing when his voice came out sharper than he intended.

“No,” Felicity responded, confusion in her voice but she didn’t question him, “I know where we can find one though. But first, take off your jacket.” Her voice full of confidence.

“What?” Oliver said, bewildered.

“C’mon, take it off.” She gave him an expectant look, not seeming to realize the implication of her words.

He ignored the innuendo of her comment, because he couldn’t afford to let his thoughts wander to where it would lead. Oliver shrugged his jacket off his shoulders and laid it over one of her desk chairs, raising an eyebrow at her.

Without waiting for him, she stalked out of her office. He quickly slid the book into his pants pocket and followed her. Felicity walked purposefully through the bull pen, heading to a desk a few down from his own. He recognized the Detective sitting behind it as Mckenna Hall. She glanced up at the two of them, surprise flitting across her face.

Oliver hadn’t really talked to Mckenna since he joined the force. He felt slightly awkward standing there, seeing as they used to party together in his ‘Ollie Queen’ days. Usually, people who knew him then still treated him that way now, and he just wasn’t in the mood to explain himself yet again. Felicity smiled brightly at the other Detective, while Oliver tried to force a smile on his own lips. He had a feeling it came off as fake as it felt. But he was following Felicity’s lead. He trusted her so he went along with it.

“Hi, Detective Hall. I was wondering if I could borrow a lighter from you.” Felicity asked sweetly.

“Uh, sure? What for?” Mckenna questioned, reaching for her purse.

“Oh, Oliver here has a loose thread on his suit jacket, and he was trying to cut it off, but I told him about that trick to burn it off instead. I just didn’t have a lighter.” Felicity lied with ease.

He nodded along to the lie, masking anything on his face that would give them away. Like surprise at how good her lie was, usually lying was the only thing she was bad at.

“Oh. I gotcha. Raisa never showed you that one, huh?” Mckenna said, turning to Oliver with a flirty smile.

Oliver didn’t know how to respond. He knew she was trying to start a conversation by bringing up Raisa in an attempt to reminisce about their past friendship, but he couldn’t bring himself to even try to talk to her. Especially since he noticed the flirtatious look on her face. Felicity nonchalantly nudged her foot against his to urge him to speak.

“Uh, yeah. Guess you could say that.” He replied flatly. Mckenna looked disappointed before covering it up, and Felicity stomped on his toes. “I mean, no she didn’t. You, me and Tommy were too busy driving her crazy back in the day.” Oliver tried again, this time with a charming smile.

Mckenna laughed. “That’s true. Funny how we used to spend our time breaking the law, and now we’re both cops.”

“Maybe if I hadn’t been breaking the law, I’d know how to get rid of a loose thread.” He winked at her, and she blushed prettily.

Mckenna grabbed a green lighter out of her purse and handed it to him, “Here you go. You might as well keep it. I’m trying to quit smoking.” She explained, with a smile that was a bit embarrassed.

“If anyone can do it you can, Detective Hall. Thanks again for the lighter.” Felicity chimed in.

“Yeah, thanks Mckenna.” He echoed, turning to leave. She looked like she was going to say something else, but he walked away before she got the chance.

Felicity trailed after him as they headed back into her office. This time, she shut the door behind them and shot him an exasperated look.

“Seriously, Oliver? I thought you used to be some kind of play boy. You couldn’t do just a little flirty-flirt for a few seconds to get the lighter without me having to crush your foot?” She frowned, glancing at his foot, “Sorry about that by the way, but we apparently needed the lighter.”

Oliver didn’t answer her question, because she was right, he used to be a player and he usually had no issue charming women to get what he wanted. But he couldn’t flirt with Mckenna right in front of Felicity, it made him feel strange. He refused to think too hard about why he felt that way. Instead, he ignored her question and pulled the book out of his pocket.

“If I’m right, then the heat from the lighter will reveal hidden ink. My father used to keep pens in his office that wrote in invisible ink. Tommy and I used to play pranks with them when we were younger. It hit me as soon as a felt the impression, maybe this was written in the same way.” He explained, opening the book.

“Invisible ink? Holy frak. I feel like I’m in _National Treasure_ right now.” She muttered under breath.

“What?”

“You’ve never seen that movie? Dude, it was out way before you were overseas. You have no excuse.” Felicity said, sounding mildly offended. “But that doesn’t matter right now. Carry on.” She gestured with her hand at the book and lighter.

Oliver held his breath as he flicked the lighter on, holding the flame near the page. He moved it back and forth, and after a few moments blank ink started to appear.

“Oh my god.” He heard Felicity exhale as she moved closer to get a better look.

“They’re names.” Oliver realized.

“It’s a list.” Felicity said, sounding uneasy, “Because that’s not ominous at all.”

Oliver couldn’t help but agree. He pulled apart the front and back covers, widening the book so he could heat all of the pages. They were both quiet as more and more names appeared. Finally, the final name appeared, and he released the button on the lighter, extinguishing the flame. Felicity took the book from his hands, starting to read through the names.

“I’ll start running searches on all of these. Hopefully, we’ll find something that starts to make sense.” Felicity said, moving to her desk chair.

Oliver sighed, slumping down onto her couch. He was frustrated. It seemed like they were just finding question after question, but no answers. It felt like a never ending cycle. He wanted, no needed, answers. He needed to understand why his mother did what she did, and why his father was murdered. He glanced at Felicity, she was sitting behind her desk scanning the pages of the book into her computer, the monitors light reflecting off her glasses.

She seemed more put together today. Despite the lack of sleep, she seemed lighter than before. He was glad that talking about everything had helped her. Even if he learned some truly terrible things, he still appreciated she told him the truth. Oliver had never really experienced someone so honest before. He grew up in a family that valued privacy and used secrets like currency. Sure, John told him the truth but not in the way Felicity had always done. John would drop a topic and not push too hard if he knew Oliver was getting angry, or he’d be cryptic in the way he’d dole out advice. Always trying to get Oliver to come up with his own solution.

But Felicity didn’t seem to care about any of that. She was refreshingly honest, always speaking her mind intentionally, or unintentionally through babbles. Despite knowing that Oliver could’ve been angry at her for the truth (he wasn’t) or not believe her, he could understand her hesitation, and yet she told him anyways.

She was remarkably brave, anyone who told the truth so openly had to be.

He thought that was what made her so courageous, despite her fear and worry, she still did the right thing and spoke the truth. It was admirable. Felicity must have felt his eyes on her, because she looked over at him, pushing her glasses up her nose with her index finger.

“What?” She asked, sounding a little self-conscious.

 He was about to answer, to tell her how grateful he was for her courage and how remarkable he thought she was, when a knock sounded on her door. So instead, he stood and moved to the door. Oliver stared pointedly at the book on her desk, and she tossed it into one of her drawers. Once the drawer was safely shut, he opened the door.

There stood a man he didn’t recognize. He had brown hair and eyes and wore a grey suit with a red tie. He held a file in one hand, and an arrogant expression on his face.

“I’m sorry. I must have the wrong office. I thought this was Felicity Smoak’s office.” The man said, an easy smile on his face.

“Who are you?” Oliver asked bluntly. He had feeling this was ADA Donner, so he wasn’t even going to try being polite.

The man raised an eyebrow at Oliver’s tone, but didn’t drop his smile. Instead, he held out his free hand for Oliver to shake.

“Assistant District Attorney Adam Donner. Nice to meet you…” He trailed off, waiting for Oliver to introduce himself.

He grabbed Donner’s hand, squeezing with a little too much force if the wince Donner gave off was any indication.

“Detective Queen. I’m guessing you’re here to drop by the warrant for Istook?” Oliver answered, glancing at the folder.

Donner pulled his hand away, stretching his fingers lightly in a way that made Oliver smirk smugly.

“I am. That’s why I was looking for Felicity, since it has to do with tech.” Donner explained, a glint in his eye that Oliver could read as interest in seeing Felicity, while having nothing to do with her expertise.

Oliver held out an open palm for the warrant. “I got it. I’m the primary on the case anyways.”

“Oh,” Donner said, hesitantly handing over the file. “If Felicity has any questions on the warrant, tell her to give me a call. She has my number.” There was an oily grin on his face that Oliver wanted to wipe off, using whatever force was necessary.

Instead of doing that, he slammed the door in Donner’s face.

“Really? Do I have to threaten you too? I’m not a damsel in distress.” Felicity called out to him, crossing her arms and giving him an unimpressed, irritated look.

Oliver shrugged unapologetically, “You were right, he’s an ass. Besides, you could have interrupted me at any time, and you didn’t.”

Felicity opened and closed her mouth a couple times, like she was about to say something before settling on a mumbled, “Shut up.”

He smirked at her. That’s what he thought. Oliver grabbed his jacket off her chair and slid it on.

“Come on, grab your stuff. We can go question Istook now, and do our actual day jobs.” He instructed, tapping the warrant in his hand. “We’ll have to come back to the names.”

She rolled her eyes at him but did as he suggested. Felicity packed her purse with what he guessed was the tech she was talking about earlier and grabbed her phone. She locked her desk drawer holding the book and shut down her computers.

“I’m ready, Mr. Bossy.”

Oliver opened the door, making a show of checking to see if Donner had gone away before gesturing for Felicity to go through.

“Coast is clear.” He told her, his smirk still in place.

She elbowed him on her way out, and he bit back a chuckle.

“I don’t, by the way.” Felicity called over her shoulder at him.

Oliver shut her office door and gave her a confused look.

She noticed, adding quickly, “Have Donner’s number. He gave me his card the first time we met, and I threw it away. So, I don’t have it.” Felicity almost seemed awkward as she told him fidgeting her purse strap, but Oliver couldn't figure out why she would feel that way.

He felt a little relieved, and he chose, yet again, not to think about why.

“Oh,” Oliver nodded, “Good. I mean, that was probably a good call.” He said, matching her awkward expression. They both stood silently for a moment.

Changing the subject, she said, “We better be taking your Detective car because I don’t think you’ll fit inside my Mini Cooper. You’re an actual giant.” Felicity started walking towards the elevator.

Just like that the air cleared between them and looked down at her teasingly, “I’m not a giant, you just drive a clown car. It doesn’t bother you because you’re short.”

Felicity gasped, glaring at him without any real heat.

“First of all, clowns are creepy and give me the wiggins, so thanks for that. Now every time I get in my car, I get to think of creepy clowns,” She groaned, then added “Secondly, don’t insult my Mini. She’s awesome. And no, I’m petite there’s a difference.”

Oliver laughed, a real genuine laugh.

He held up his hands in mock surrender, “My bad. But sure there is. Whatever makes you feel better.” He said placatingly with a smile, his tone making it clear he really didn’t think there was a difference between short and petite.  

“I can tell you’re just agreeing to shut me up and I take offense to that.” She remarked, but there was a grin on her lips.

“I would never do that.”

“Mhmm. Sure you wouldn’t.” Felicity said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Oliver grinned in return.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay- so I loved the Felicity/Oliver/Mckenna interaction, how about yall?   
> And I know I'm really starting to screw with canon season 1 with all the book stuff but this is my AU and there will be canon divergence, I just hope it's believable enough lol. I wanted this chapter to just be a bit lighter since we had such a heavy couple of ones, I know this one started off angsty but it got lighter.   
> Oliver is really starting to be a big dumb pine tree when it comes to his feelings, then again, thats pretty canon, and this is a slow burn... so sorry not sorry hahah


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity plays detective with Oliver. But as usual, it's platonic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanna start by saying thank you all for your lovely words on the last chapter, I needed them so I very much appreciate it. <3
> 
> And I'm super surprised at how this turned out. I had a completely different picture in my head of how I wanted this chapter to go but I actually really like it, I think we get some really good Olicity content in here. It's all Felicity's POV but i thought we needed that to see inside her head about how she was feeling towards Oliver since we got to know where his head (and heart eyes) were. 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos fuel my fingers and my muse so any and all are so very wonderful and appreciated!
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

 

 

Felicity sat in the passenger seat of Oliver’s detective car, fiddling with small black piece of tech she needed to place on Istook’s computer. Oliver glanced over, taking his eyes off the road for a moment.

“So, all you need to do is put that on his computer?” He asked her curiously.

“Yep. The program I’m going to clone his cell phone with also lets us hear calls. But I brought an actual bug if you wanted to put that in his office too.” She explained, patting her purse where the rest of the tech was.

“I don’t think it’d hurt. The warrant lets us so we might as well, just in case.”

“Okay.” Felicity agreed easily.

She needed to tell him that she spoke with Walter this morning, but she didn’t want to break the light mood between them by bringing it up. Felicity let out a soft sigh. She might as well get it over with.

“I called Mr. Steele this morning. We didn’t really have a chance to talk about what I was going to tell him because of how intense last night was, but I just told him that I found the Tempest LLC, and I couldn’t find anything else. No money trail and nothing about the warehouse. He was disappointed, but he seemed like he believed me.” Felicity said, as she looked towards Oliver.

His hands gripped the wheel hard enough for his knuckles to turn white, and his whole body seemed to tense. Felicity didn’t understand his reaction. He had known she was going to have to call Walter at some point.

“Why’d you tell him that you even found Tempest?” Oliver questioned, a frown turning down his lips and a slight edge in his voice.

She didn’t appreciate his tone.

“Because if I didn’t then he’d be suspicious. He knows what I’m capable of with a computer and some uninterrupted time.” She said, a bit sharply in response to his own tone.

He loosened his grip on the wheel, an apologetic look on his face.

“Sorry, you’re right. I just.. I don’t want him to start asking questions to my mother or anyone else. It could raise some red flags and put you in danger. I don’t want anyone to know we know, not until we find out more.” Oliver said quietly, his eyebrows drawn together.

Felicity felt her irritation dissipate. She could understand his reasons. But she was in no more danger now, than she was before she found out all of this. It was still their secret. No one else knew what she had found.

Not yet, anyways.

“I know. But I’ll be fine. I covered all of my online tracks when I was looking into it, and Walter is none the wiser. I think we’re in the clear for now.” Felicity reassured him.

“Okay, good,” He said before continuing, a firmness in his voice she didn’t particularly like, “Now, we need go over some ground rules before we get to Brodeur Chemical.”

“Ground rules?” She asked incredulously.

“Yes. If what Peter Declan suspects is true, then we need to be careful. I’ll do all the talking and asking questions, you don’t say anything. I don’t want you on his radar or giving him an idea of what we really know. Just plant the devise and focus on cloning his phone.” He instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument.

But too bad for him because she was great at arguing.

“Seriously? I’m just supposed to smile and nod next to you? What was the point of even bringing me if you don’t want me to even speak? Listen here Mr. Bossy Pants, we’re a team. 50/50. You can’t just order me around.” Felicity said, trying to keep her voice level and not go into ‘Loud Voice’ territory.

It was hard, because he was absolutely infuriating. She was a little hurt, and a lot angry, that he seemed to think she’d be a liability in the field. Felicity heard what he wasn’t saying, her letting loose a babble could compromise what they were trying to do. But she was more than capable enough to handle herself.

“Yes, I can. Because I’m the lead on this case and you have no field experience. Lance is expecting me to keep an eye on you and make sure this all goes to plan. So, you just focus on the tech aspect, and I’ll deal with Istook. I’m the cop, I ask the questions.” He responded bluntly, giving her an ‘Are we clear?’ look.

She huffed, crossing her arms.

So, okay, she didn’t have field experience and what he said made sense, and she could begrudgingly admit that her people skills weren’t the best when she was out of her element. But it still pissed her off because she didn’t like being ordered around.

“Fine.” Felicity grumbled, “But you don’t need to be such a bossy jerk about it. Please and thank you go a long way.”

“Hey,” Oliver said, the authority from his voice gone now, replaced with a softer tone, “I didn’t mean to do that. I’m just used to giving orders. But I’m not in the Army anymore, and it takes me a minute to remember that sometimes. So, please don’t say anything and let me handle Istook.” He rephrased, shooting her a small smile.

She melted a little, but she couldn’t help it. When he smiled like that, a dimple popped out in his cheek and he was even more handsome than usual. She’d call him cute, but Oliver was so attractive that it didn’t seem big enough. Felicity felt her face heat up. She shook those thoughts away.

Handsome or not, she needed him to understand they were equal partners in this. Especially if they were going to be solving the mystery of the names in the book and who blew up the Gambit.

“I get it. I do. But I want to make sure we _are_ a team, with equal say. We have a lot to figure out and I don’t just mean our work cases. We need to be on the same page.” She said as honestly as possible, hoping he wouldn’t get take it the wrong way.

“We are. I promise.” He affirmed, before adding with a slight smirk, “I’ll make sure my ‘bossy pants’ stay off around you.” Gently mocking what she called him earlier.

She didn’t know if he was flirting with her or just teasing her by using his own innuendo since she was prone to do the same, albeit hers were accidental.

Felicity blushed, trying to cover it up by rolling her eyes. She was glad he was still focused on the road and not looking at her because she had visions of pants-less Oliver in her head, which was quite a site, and she was worried he’d be able to see it written all over her face.

“You’re hilarious.” Felicity said drily.

“I know.”

 

**

 

They pulled into the parking lot of Brodeur Chemical not long after. Oliver put the car in park and turned in his seat to look at her.

“Yes, I know, say nothing and focus on the tech.” Felicity stated with no lack of snark, before he could open his mouth and speak. She mimed zipping her lips.

It was his turn to roll his eyes at her. She couldn’t help but grin a little as the flat look on his face showcased just how not funny he found her comment.

“No, I was going to ask how much time you needed to clone his phone.”

“Oh.” Felicity thought for a moment, “Two minutes, tops. The bug and piece of tech I’ll use to access his computer start broadcasting as soon as they’re placed.”

His eyebrows rose in surprise, but he nodded anyways. “Alright, should be easy then.”

_“Kein Ayin Hara.”_ She said immediately in Yiddish, giving him a dirty look.

“What?” He asked, sounding bewildered.

“I’m Jewish and that was basically our version of ‘knock on wood.’ I’m technically supposed to spit afterwards but that’s gross.” Felicity explained, but he still looked confused. “Seriously? Saying it’ll be easy is like the biggest jinx ever, Oliver.”

Amusement lit up his eyes, making them seem like an even brighter blue.

All he said was, “I didn’t know you were superstitious.”

Felicity felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

“I’m not usually, because I’m a scientist you know? But lately, it just seems smart to cover all our bases. We need all the help we can get.” She replied, a little defensively.

Oliver smiled at her, intrigue and something else in his expression she couldn’t quite place.

“Makes sense. Some of the men in my unit used to have specific things they’d do before an op. I never really had any myself. So, what else can we do?” He asked.

At first, she thought he was teasing her, but after a moment she realized there was genuine interest there.

“Well, uh, another common thing is tying a red yarn string around your left wrist. It’s meant to ward off bad luck and protect you.” She didn’t mention it was also believed that when the red string eventually wore away and fell off, the person supposedly met their soul mate.

She didn’t believe in soulmates, and that part of it seemed too silly, and girlish, to mention to Oliver.

He nodded seriously. “We might need to get some red yarn then.”

Felicity couldn’t help but grin at him.

“Yeah. Probably.” She agreed. “But for now, we’ll have to settle for the phrase. Let’s go question our bad guy.”

Oliver made a noise of agreement and got out of the car. She was opening her own door when it was suddenly opened for her. Oliver stood there, one hand on the door and the other held out to her, offering his assistance.

Felicity thought it was adorable how much of a gentleman he was. She wondered if he ever had to take etiquette lessons growing up.

Probably, she decided.  
He grew up in the upper echelon of society, born with old money and Moira Queen as his mother. There was no way he didn’t have proper manners and rich people etiquette ingrained in him from a young age.

A picture of a young, child Oliver in a suit sitting through lessons on which fork to use popped into her head. It made her equal parts amused and sad. She couldn’t imagine being a kid and growing up in that kind of environment. It seemed so restrictive.

Instead of commenting on any of that, she just took his hand with a grateful smile. His own lips quirked up in response. His hand was warm and rough, she could feel callouses on his palm against the smoothness of her own. There were also little dips and raised sections of skin against her fingers she guessed were scars.

With a start, she realized that she was willingly holding his hand, and almost didn’t want to let go. Ever since the attack, physical contact hadn’t been something she felt comfortable with. Even something as innocent as holding hands, or the brush of a hand at her shoulder usually made her feel uneasy, or jumpy.

But then it hit her that she’s had more physical contact with Oliver recently than she’s had with another person, besides training with Sara, since the attack. She thought back on all of their recent touches.

She’d held his hand multiple times when she told him the truth about his mom and what happened, he grabbed her this morning to stop her babble and she hadn’t flinched, she’d basically played footsies with him at Mckenna’s desk, and she’d even playfully elbowed him earlier.

Felicity used to be a very tactile person, but then everything happened, and she wasn’t anymore. She couldn’t even say that it was due to the time of processing and healing that was starting to let her be that way again, because she knew it hadn’t started until him.

It was all Oliver.

She didn’t know what it was, or why, but he made her feel safe, protected even. Some part of her recognized he’d never hurt her, and she didn’t question it.

Maybe she should. But she didn’t want too.

She liked that feeling too much to poke holes in the reasoning behind it.

The bang of the car door closing startled her out of her thoughts. Oliver had shut the door and he was looking down at her with concern in his features, but he still hadn’t released her hand.

“Hey, where’d you go?” He asked, craning his head down to meet her eyes, his lips drawn down in a slight frown.

She dropped his hand, hoping he didn’t notice the abruptness of the action. If he did, he didn’t say anything.

“Just running through the code in my head for the cloning program, I haven’t used it in a while.” Felicity semi-lied, looking away from the intensity of his eyes and towards the entrance of Brodeur Chemical.

She _hadn’t_ used the program in a while so at least that part was true.

Oliver didn’t seem convinced, she could feel his eyes studying her face for a long moment, but he didn’t question her further. They were both quiet as they made their way to the front entrance, the only sound was her heels clacking against the pavement. When they reached the tall glass doors, he opened it for her and motioned for her to go in first. She smiled her thanks at him, walking inside the lobby.

It looked like every lobby of a corporate office. Smooth stone floors, modern looking steel framed furniture in drab greys and black. There were guards stationed throughout the lobby, one of them at what looked like a private elevator. Felicity guessed it led directly up to Jason Brodeur’s office. Across the lobby were two public elevators, and a large, sleek desk stood in front of them, hindering their access.

Behind the desk sat a woman who looked to be in her late twenties. She was pretty, Felicity noted. She had red hair, warm brown eyes, and nude painted lips. She wore a name tag on the chest of black formal business dress reading ‘Kim.’

Felicity felt like she stood out in her pink dress and multicolored high heels against all the greys and blacks, and not in a good way. Self-consciously, she reached up and adjusted her glasses. She felt a light touch on her elbow. She glanced up at Oliver, he let go of her elbow as soon as he had her attention then flicked his eyes between the desk and where they stood.

Taking the hint, she fell into step behind him as he led them to the front desk where Kim was sitting, typing on her computer. She hadn’t looked up once since they’d walked in.

“Excuse me?” Oliver said pleasantly, tapping his fingers on the glass desk top.

“All visitors must have an appointment and sign in. Name?” Kim drawled, not even looking up from her computer.

Oliver put a smile on his face that Felicity had never seen before. It was full of charm and a bit of arrogance, like he was playing into people’s perception of who Oliver Queen was, more accurately who he used to be. It was convincing and would have seemed real to a stranger, however Felicity knew the smile was fake, but only because she’d seen the real version.

“I don’t have an appointment. My name is Oliver Queen, I’m a detective with the Starling City Police Department. I only need a moment of your time.” He said smoothly.

At his name, Kim jerked her head up and did a double take. She looked surprised and flustered as she straightened up in her seat and ran her hands over her skirt flattening out non-existent wrinkles.

Felicity sympathized with the flustered part, having Oliver Queen’s full attention was a bit nerve wracking.

He was a lot, with the perfect face and smile, and the broad, muscular shoulders and the scruff that decorated his strong square jawline…

Felicity shook her head to banish those thoughts. What was with her today?

Now was not the time for that.

Kim must have realized the same because she cleared her throat, and asked professionally, “How can I help you, Detective Queen?”

Oliver’s smile widened, and he leaned forward resting one arm on the desk, his eyes dropping to her name tag then back to her face.

“Well, Kim,” Oliver started, and Felicity saw a blush creep across her cheeks at the sound of her name, “I need to speak with an employee here. Matt Istook? Could you tell me where his office is?”

“Oh, uhm. Of course. He’s on floor twelve, his office is right across from the elevator. You can’t miss it, but he may be heading out to lunch soon.” Kim explained, smiling at Oliver.

Felicity felt a stab of irritation. The woman hadn’t even asked who Felicity was or even notice her. She also didn’t ask to his badge.

Then again, everyone in Starling knew who the Queens are.

“Thank you, Kim. We’ll head up now so we’re sure to catch him.” Oliver said, flashing her a quick wink.

He pulled away from her desk, placing his hand to where it was hovering over Felicity’s lower back, not quite touching but close enough to where she could feel its heat through her dress, and led her to the elevators. She didn’t speak until the elevator doors closed and Oliver had pressed the number twelve button. They were standing side by side in the elevator and looking straight ahead. She could see his reflection in the shiny silver of the doors.

“Oh, so now you can flirt without me stomping on your toes, but you couldn’t when we needed to get McKenna’s lighter.” Felicity commented, keeping her tone light.

She saw the smirk on his face in the mirror-like reflection from the doors.

“That was different.”

“How?”

“Just was.” He huffed out in what she realized was a laugh.

Felicity rolled her eyes, but the elevator doors opened before he could see it in the reflection. They stepped out and she glanced around the room. It was filled with cubicles and employee’s sitting in them, some of them looking up and staring at her and Oliver curiously but most of the employee’s paid them no mind. It was so much like the Queen Consolidated layout of the IT department that she had to take a deep breath to relax before memories could plague her mind.

Right across from the elevators was the one of two offices on the floor, a plaque hanging next to it read ‘Matt Istook.’ The door was partially open, and she could see that no one was inside. Oliver and she shared a look, and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was.

Now would be the best time to place the tech.

They both made their way into the office, and not a single employee said a word or stopped them. Oliver stood in the doorway, blocking anyone from seeing inside.

Guess those broad shoulders did come in handy.

“Stop it.” She mumbled to herself, too quiet for Oliver to hear.

Felicity reached into her purse, pulling out the bug and the transmitter. She placed the bug underneath the ledge of the desk, closet to where his phone rested then circled around and put the transmitter on the back of the computer tower that sat on the floor.

She pulled out her phone, checking to make sure both were broadcasting and working. The tech she had placed was already worming its way into the computer, she watched as the code scrolled across the screen of her phone.

Felicity grinned, giving Oliver a thumbs up. He quirked an amused, and proud if she was reading it correctly, smile at her.

She didn’t look at the contents of the computer yet, instead switching over the program that would clone Istook’s phone. She was about to ask if they should go try and find him, when Oliver’s head snapped back to where he could see into the hallway. He must have Spidey senses because she didn’t even hear anyone approach.

“Mr. Istook? I’m Detective Queen with the SCPD and I needed to ask you a few questions.” Oliver said loudly, that same charming, and fake, smile back into place.

“What is this about?” She heard Istook question as Oliver took a step back to let the man into his own office.

Istook walked inside, a surprise flitting across his face when he saw Felicity. He looked her up and down, his eyes taking in her bright dress, heels, glasses and ponytail. Felicity tried to look as cop-like as possible, shifting her stance and doing her best impression of Quentin’s stern Captain face and posture.

“Who are you?” Istook asked her, taking another step closer and in perfect range of her program to clone his phone.

She deftly tapped her screen, without needing to look, to activate her program and was about to introduce herself when Oliver beat her too it.

“This is my partner, Ms. Smoak.” Oliver said, making her chest feel warm at the mention of ‘partner.’ He continued before Istook could ask anymore questions, “We just needed to ask a few questions about Camille Declan, just a formality before Mr. Declan is executed. You understand, of course.”

“Of course,” Istook replied automatically, turning his attention back to Oliver. Istook presented himself as calm, but Felicity saw nervousness in his eyes.

“Just to clarify, you testified that Peter Declan made up the story about the toxic dumping the Glades and that Camille Declan never came to you about it.” Oliver asked, meeting Istook’s gaze.

“Yes, she never talked to me about anything. Declan definitely killed her and tried to use the company as a scapegoat.” Istook replied, swallowing in a way that betrayed his otherwise cool composure.

By the way Oliver’s eyes sharpened while keeping his smile, Felicity knew he’d noticed Istook’s reaction and the fact he used the same exact term, scapegoat, from his testimony like it was something he had practiced and rehearsed. That usually didn’t happen, typically when someone gives a statement about a crime, it changes slightly each time it’s told as the brain forgets certain details.

Unless it was completely made up.

“And you never received an email from her asking to meet?” Oliver pushed, the nearly bored tone of his voice made it seem like he didn’t really care about asking at all.

Felicity had to hand it to him, he was good actor.

Istook visibly relaxed at Oliver’s question, no doubt hearing exactly what Oliver wanted him too. “No, I didn’t.”

Oliver nodded. “Okay. And how was Mrs. Declan’s work performance? Did she ever come into work tired, or complaining about her husband?”

Felicity had to fight an impressed grin at the way Oliver was leading Istook to answer. It was smart, making it seem like he believed Declan to be guilty.  

She looked down at her phone, Istook’s phone was ninety percent complete.

She mouthed ‘Almost done’ to Oliver while Istook wasn’t looking.

“Yes, actually. On the days leading up to her death, she came in unfocused and seemed jumpy. When I asked her what was wrong, she said that her and her husband, Peter, had been fighting a lot lately. They had a new baby and I guess it was putting a lot of stress on their marriage.” Istook answered confidently.

Felicity gave Oliver another thumbs up, his phone was cloned.

“Okay, well I think we have what we need. Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Istook.” Oliver reached out and shook his hand. “We can see ourselves out.”

 

**

 

A couple hours later, Felicity was going through Istook’s computer and cell phone in her office at the station. Oliver was at his own desk checking into Jason Brodeur and the people surrounding him for any other shady connections he might have. They had briefed Captain Lance on their meeting with Istook when they had gotten back, and Lance agreed that something was definitely up.

Normally, she’d be able to find everything she needed to know from Istook’s computer and phone already, but she kept getting distracted by the names on the List. She had uploaded them all and set up a program to search for any connections between them. Every time she’d start go back to working on the Istook stuff, she’d think of something else to look for between the names and add it onto her program.

Right away she noticed that the names all seemed to be the top one percent of Starling. Like Warren Patel and Adam Hunt, even Jason Brodeur was on the List.

Felicity had a really bad feeling about it.

A glance at the clock told her she needed to stop focusing on the List and put more of her focus on Istook. She felt guilty that she kept switching between the two because Peter Declan was most likely innocent, but she couldn’t help it. She had a burning need to solve the mystery of the names and the symbol on the book.

Felicity searched Matt Istook’s computer, unable to find any trace of the meeting taking place. There were no emails, no calendar appointments, which was suspicious in and of itself because unless someone really knew what they were doing, nothing was ever totally deleted. It convinced her ever more that he was most likely hiding something.

She turned her attention to his phone, her eyes moving across the monitors screen rapidly.

“Aha! Gotcha.” Felicity exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. She lowered it slowly, “So glad no one saw that.”

She picked up her cell phone, sending a text out to both Lance and Oliver to come into her office. Oliver arrived first, announcing his presence with a quick knock on the door before stepping in.

“What’d you find?” He asked, moving to sit in one of the chairs opposite her desk.

“I’ll tell you when Quentin arrives.” She said just as he walked in, “Oh, speak of the devil, or Captain, I guess. That’s more fitting.”

“You know, only you’re the only person in this building who dares to text me ‘Come to my office now,’ without a please or even phrasing it like a question. I am your Captain and I’m starting to think I’ve been too easy on you, kid.” Lance said, his face was serious and borderline stern, but she saw the teasing glint in his warm brown eyes.

She shrugged, grinning at him innocently.

“Won’t happen again, _sir._ ” She emphasized the sir, playfully mocking him.

He scoffed, making a noise low in his throat that made it clear he was unconvinced.

“So what’d you find, sweetheart?” Quentin asked, sitting next to Oliver in one of the chairs.

“Istook wiped his computer clean of any emails or appointments with Camille before her death. But he wasn’t so thorough with his phone. His calendar was synced on it and even though the meeting had been deleted, I was able to find a backup version on the app he uses that’s there incase a user accidently deletes an appointment. The meeting definitely happened, and it was two days before she was murdered. Only thing I couldn’t find was the email requesting the meeting, my guess is because it was sent to his company email on his work computer, which was wiped clean. His phone only had his private email. But since we have proof of him lying, I think it should be enough to postpone Peter Declan’s execution.” Felicity explained.   

Oliver nodded, but Lance didn’t seem as relieved as he should. She tilted her head meeting his eyes, silently asking him what was wrong.

Lance ran a hand over his face. “That’s great and all. But now we have the problem of who actually killed her. It’s gonna be a scandal and a lot of bad PR for the precinct to jail an innocent man.”

“I think I might have an idea about that,” Oliver interjected, “I’ve been running background checks on Brodeur and those closest to him. He has a body guard who’s been with him for a decade, Ankov, he used to be military and was dishonorably discharged. He’d have the skill set to sneak in and out of their home to kill her undetected. It’s just a gut feeling, but I think he’s our guy.”

Lance seemed like he agreed. “Makes sense. We just need proof of that and the fact he was acting under Brodeur’s orders.”

“Maybe Oliver should go talk to Peter at Iron Heights. See if he knows anything else, or if he recognizes the bodyguard.” Felicity suggested, then paused as an alert flashed on her screen.

Matt Istook was calling Jason Brodeur’s cell phone.

She checked his GPS locator, he was somewhere inside Brodeur Chemical but not in his office near the bug, however, thankfully her program let them record and listen to any calls that were made.

“Frack.” She cursed, then looked to Oliver, “I think we might have spooked Istook. He’s calling Jason Brodeur on his cell phone right now.”

Oliver tensed, sitting forward. “Can we listen in?”

“Yeah, hang on.” Felicity clicked a few keys, making sure the call was recording then played the sound through the speakers on her desk.

A voice full of static, but recognizable as Istook’s filled her ears.

“ _Mr. Brodeur, I’m so sorry to call but I just had Peter Declan’s attorney come by asking a bunch of questions about Camille’s death, when just a few hours earlier the SCPD was here doing the same.”_

Felicity knew it was Laurel, and she bit back a groan of frustration. She glanced at Quentin, who went still and muttered a curse underneath his breath. Oliver seemed as frustrated as she was.

“ _And you think they suspect something?”_ This voice was unfamiliar, but she guessed it was Jason Brodeur’s.

“ _Yes sir. It can’t be a coincidence. Maybe we should-,“_

“ _How about you meet me in my office shortly and we can discuss this is person.”_ Brodeur interjected.

“ _Yes sir.”_ Istook agreed, then the call ended.

“Damn it! I told Laurel to stay away and now she blew our whole plan and put herself in even more danger.” Lance ranted, his voice gruffer than usual.

Oliver kept his mouth shut, and so did she.

Quentin blew out a breath of frustration. “Alright, well I’m gonna email what you both found to the DA and get them to postpone the execution. Oliver, I want you at Iron Heights tomorrow to talk with Declan. Now I have to go assign a uniform to protect my daughter, and then I need to kill her.” He stood abruptly and stalked out of her office the door slamming behind him.

“Awkward.” Felicity mumbled.

Oliver snorted. “Yeah, and thanks to her now they know we’re looking. Our jobs just got a million times more difficult.” His irritation was easy to read.

“Speaking of difficult jobs, I got all the names on the List uploaded and I’m using an algorithm to cross check for any connections.” She informed him. “So far it looks like they’re all corrupt one percenters.”

Oliver nodded and sighed heavily. “It doesn’t seem like it ever stops.”

Felicity’s heart went to him, she understood that feeling. These past few days had been a hell of a rollercoaster.

“Trust me, I get it. As soon as I get home, I plan on processing my way through another entire pint of mint chip.”

He met her eyes, his lips turning up slightly. It wasn’t quite a smile, but she was glad to cheer him up even a little bit.

Which was why she hesitated before speaking.

“We’ve kind of hit a brick wall until the searches come back, and there’s so many names that it’ll take a while.” Felicity said, adjusting her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Yeah,” He agreed, shifting in his seat, “I was thinking the next best place to look for answers is my father’s old study in the manor. No one’s touched it since he died, and there could be something there.” He spoke quietly and he wasn’t making eye contact with her, instead staring her desk top.

Her heart lurched in her chest. Felicity wanted to reach out and grab his hand to comfort him, but he was too far away, and she wasn’t brave enough to move around her desk to do it. For some reason, that seemed too intimate.

“Oh, Oliver. I’m so sorry.” Felicity said, her voice soft and laced with guilt.

It was her fault he had to confront his father’s death all over again.

His head raised at that and he met her eyes, the confusion clear. “Why are you sorry?”

“If I hadn’t of told you, you wouldn’t have to deal with any of this.” She confessed.

“Felicity,” Oliver said her name with so much intensity that it made a shiver race down her spine, “I’m so glad you did tell me. I’ve never had someone in my life be so truthful with me. And I didn’t realize how much that meant to me until you told me what you did. You didn’t know what I’d do but you still didn’t hide it from me. It was fearless. You’re fearless.”

Felicity felt her cheeks warm up and her pulse thrummed through her veins, but in a good way. She didn’t think she was fearless, she had been scared beyond belief to tell him. Not to mention all the little things throughout her daily life that still scared her every day, like crowded rooms and people standing too close. She jumped at loud noises, for goodness sake.

That doesn’t scream fearless to her.

But she didn’t say any of that to Oliver, because judging by the look on his face, he’d argue with her. Normally, she couldn’t always read Oliver’s expressions, he covered up a lot of what he felt, but right now, he was completely open. The depth of emotions she saw there, in his expression and in his eyes, were so fierce, so sincere, and so protective that she couldn’t help but start to believe what he said he saw in her.

So instead of trying to deny it, Felicity just smiled and said simply, “Thank you, Oliver.”

She tried to put the same amount of meaning in his name as he had done for her own. He seemed to understand, smiling back at her wide enough for both the dimples to pop in his cheeks.

“You never have to thank me.”

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver goes to prison. But don't worry this isn't season 7. He still has a terrible time though. Oops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I have over 10,000 hits on this story!?!? Do you guys realize how crazy that is??? Because I realize how crazy that is. All I can say is THANK YOU!!   
> I am so happy yall seem to enjoy my fic as much as I enjoy writing it. (:  
> Also, I wasnt going to mention anything but I figured since there's some interest in this AU, maybe another one would be fun, so would you guys be interested in an Olicity Beauty and the Beast AU featuring a Bratva!Oliver? If you would please let me know in the comments ((:  
> This chapter took me a minute to get going, but once I did, I really like how it turned out. I've had this chapter in mind from the very beginning so I was super excited to bring it to life and have it finished. 
> 
> As always, I'd love any comments or kudos seeing as they feed my soul... plus I just really love hearing everyones thoughts lol. 
> 
> without further ado-

 

 

Oliver parked in the lot outside of Iron Heights. He had spent yesterday afternoon and part of last night looking over the case file, evidence and Peter Declan’s testimony from his trial. Oliver understood why the jury was convicted Declan, there was overwhelming evidence against him. The murder weapon had his prints, neighbors heard them fighting leading up to her death, and Declan was the one who discovered her body and called the police. His alibi was that he was asleep while someone broke in and killed her.

It wasn’t the most convincing of defenses.

His phone rang, the picture displaying Tommy’s face. Oliver debated ignoring the call, but he figured Tommy would keep calling and texting until he answered.

“Hey, Tommy.” Oliver answered.

“ _Dude, I’m supposed to be your best friend, you could at least try and sound happy to talk to me.”_ Tommy’s sarcastic voice came through the phone, an offended lilt to it.

“Sorry,” He apologized, “I’m just a little preoccupied with work right now. What’s up?”

“ _We haven’t really talked much since the awkward family brunch. I miss my best friend and I want to hangout with you. Maybe go out tomorrow for Friday night? For old times sake. I hear Poison is pretty fun.”_ Tommy suggested, a hopeful tone to his voice.

Oliver grimaced, “Yeah, probably not _Poison._ One, I’m a cop now, I can’t be seen clubbing. Captain Lance would blow a gasket. And two, I slept with Max Fuller’s fiancée at their rehearsal dinner. He hates me.”

Tommy laughed. “ _Oh, right. I forgot about that. So maybe not Poison. But we can just drink at one of our apartments or go to a higher end bar. No wild partying.”_

Oliver wanted to say no, because he didn’t feel like reminiscing on his ‘Glory’ days and he knew drinking with Tommy would bring it all up. But he also missed Tommy and after the week he’d had, a few drinks with his friend sounded like a good idea.

“Okay, but only if you promise nothing crazy. Just a lowkey night.”

“ _Pinky promise with no take backs.”_ Tommy agreed, sounding excited.

Oliver chuckled, “Goodbye, Tommy. I have an actual job to do. I’ll talk to you later.”

Tommy said his own goodbye and ended the call. Oliver slid his phone into his pocket and got out of his car, walking to the entrance of Iron Heights. Getting through security was a process. He had to check his weapon, his phone, show his ID and go through a metal detector. Security had wanted to do a pat down search as well saying it was standard procedure, but Oliver shut that down with a glare and him reiterating the fact that he was a cop too.

Finally, he was handed a visitor pass and buzzed through the gate. A guard accompanied him, leading him to the visitation room which seemed more like a cell than anything else. Grey concrete walls and floors, windowless and with a single steel table where Peter Declan sat, his hands free and unhandcuffed.

Oliver had requested Declan be unhandcuffed in attempt to make him feel more comfortable and build up a rapport between them. Declan remained seated but looked towards Oliver as he approached the table.

Oliver offered his hand for Declan to shake, “Mr. Declan, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Detective Oliver Queen with the SCPD.”

He stared at Oliver’s outstretched hand for a moment before shaking it slowly.

“Last time I met with a detective from the SCPD, he accused me of murdering my wife.” Peter said bitterly, dropping Oliver’s hand.

Oliver took a seat and nodded. “I’m not that detective though, am I? I’ve read your case and done my own investigating and I believe what you say happened is the truth. We discovered enough evidence to get you a stay of execution.”

Declan blinked, shock crossing his face. “Are you serious? I… I can’t believe it. Thank you.”

Oliver saw tears shine in his eyes.

“Don’t thank me yet. We still have to find enough evidence to actually acquit you.” Oliver replied seriously, crossing his arms.

Declan leaned forwards, “What did you find so far? I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“We found proof that Matt Istook met with your wife two days before she was killed.” Oliver took a picture out of jacket pocket and slid it across the table. “Do you recognize this man?”

Declan pulled the picture closer to him, studying it before looking up with distress and anger written across his face.

“I don’t know his name, but I remember seeing him outside of our apartments the day Camille was killed. I didn’t think anything of it and the only reason I remember was because he bumped into me hard enough for me to drop my daughters diaper bag. Who is he?”

Oliver tapped the picture. “We suspect that he’s the one who killed her, acting under Jason Brodeur’s orders. He’s Brodeur’s body guard.”

Declan was about speak when the guard approached, interrupting them, “Declan your lawyers here.”

Confusion flickered across Declan’s face, but Oliver knew exactly who his lawyer was, and she was supposed to be staying far away from this case.

Oliver bit back a growl of frustration as Laurel was led in by another guard. Her step faltered when she saw Oliver seated there, but she still approached, a determined look on her face.

“Mr. Declan, don’t say another word.” She said to him, then turned to Oliver, “Are you questioning my client without his attorney present?”

Oliver glared at her. “Are you serious right now, Laurel? You know I’m working this case to help him. You’re not even supposed to be here. I’ll call Lance if I have too.”

Laurel glared right back, “Really, Ollie? I’m a grown woman and my father can’t tell me what to do. And why should my client and I trust the SCPD with this investigation when they were the ones who wrongfully imprisoned him?”

Oliver forced himself to take a deep breath, and ground out, “No, he can’t, but you should’ve listened to him. This case is dangerous. And Mr. Declan is aware of all that and yet, he still offered his help, seeing as we were able to get a stay of execution of from what we’ve found so far.”

It was probably wrong of him, but he couldn’t help but feel a sense of smug satisfaction when a look of shock crossed her face before she covered it.

“Why wasn’t I told?” Laurel all but demanded, standing in front of him with her arms crossed.

Oliver snorted. “You’re the one who’s supposed to be his lawyer, you should’ve found out on your own.”

She looked like she was about to speak but Declan interrupted, “Ms. Lance I didn’t know you were coming, but thank you for all your help. Detective Queen was just telling me everything he found, and you should hear it too. Maybe it could be enough to acquit me?” His voice was hopeful.

Laurel glanced at him, before turning her attention back on Oliver, raising an eyebrow in a ‘go on’ gesture.

Begrudgingly, Oliver told her everything he’d just told Declan. He didn’t want her anymore involved, but she was already there, and he knew her client would just tell her anyways. At least if he told her himself, he could phrase it exactly the way he wanted and keep certain things a secret.

Lance was going to be pissed either way.

He finished telling her what they found, leaving out everything about the bug in Istook’s phone. He only told her the bare minimum, that they suspected the body guard and they found proof of a meeting between Camille and Istook two days before her death.

“That’s enough to at least try and appeal your conviction, Mr. Declan. It’s proof that Istook’s testimony was a lie, which throws out everything else he testified.” Laurel explained to Declan.

“Oh my god. I can’t thank you both enough.” Declan said gratefully.

Oliver was about to answer when the lights shut off in the room, leaving only the dim glow of the emergency lights. A few seconds later sirens started blaring.

“What the hell?” Oliver asked, standing from his chair. He stared at the guard in the doorway who was frantically talking into his radio. “What’s going on?”

The guard looked up at him, “We lost power, and some of the cells back up’s failed so the doors opened. Inmates are out of their cells and starting to riot.”

Oliver knew that wasn’t a coincidence. Brodeur and the body guard, Ankov, had to be behind it.

Laurel gripped his arm, “Please tell me you have your gun?”

He pulled free from her grip. “No, I don’t. They made me check it. Damn it, Laurel! This is exactly why Lance told you to stay away from all of this!” He didn’t even try to hold back from raising his voice.

She flinched, glaring at him. But he could tell she was scared, not of him but of their situation.

“You think that Brodeur is doing this?” Laurel asked, an octave higher than she usually spoke.

“I don’t think it’s random chance that Iron Heights loses power and a riot breaks out the same day you and I are both meeting with Declan.” He ground out, jerking his thumb in the direction of where Declan sat.

“Detective, I have to go help. We’ve lost contact with the entire eastern section of the prison. They need more security.” The guard called out to them, “Stay here and lock yourselves in!” With that said, he jogged out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

“Do you have your phone with you?” Oliver asked Laurel, stalking to the door and throwing the lock into place.

“No. They took it.” She said nervously, shifting in place.

Oliver cursed, trying to think of a game plan. Hopefully security would have alerted the SCPD for back up, and they’d be here soon. But without having a way to contact them, he had no way of knowing for sure. Not too mention, he was blind without Felicity in his ear walking him through where to go.

What he did know is that they couldn’t just stay locked up in the visitation room. They’d be sitting ducks, especially if one, or more, of the prisoners were targeting them all like he thought. They needed to keep moving and try and get to a guard station or up front to where their phones and his gun were.

“Alright, we can’t stay here.” He decided, “We need to get to our phones and my gun at the security check in. It’s not far from here, we should make it.”

 “That’s a horrible plan!” Laurel gasped, her face panic-stricken, “We should stay here like the guard said and just keep the door locked.”

“Oh, and just wait for someone to come in and kill us? Locks break, Laurel, and I have a feeling the people trying to get to us are going to be extremely motivated.” Oliver reminded her sharply.  

“You don’t even have a weapon!” She all but yelled at him.

Images of the op in Hong Kong flashed through his mind.

“I am the weapon.” He said, his tone dark.

**

Felicity was, for the first time this week, having a completely normal morning. She had stopped by her favorite café and picked up coffee and breakfast for herself and Lance, she would have gotten some for Oliver too, but he headed into Iron Heights early as possible, and then she spent the morning repairing damaged radio’s and ear pieces.

It was soothing, working on the broken tech with music in the background and she enjoyed it.

There were no crazy assassins, or lists written in invisible ink, or blown up yachts or conspiracies and it was just what she needed.

So of course, it had to come to end abruptly by Lance bursting into her office.

“Oh, no. What’s wrong now?” Felicity asked, dreading what the answer would be.

“Iron Heights lost power and inmates are trying to escape, it’s a riot scene. Queen is still there, and I haven’t been able to get in touch with him.” Lance said bluntly. “I need to you to get eyes inside.”

Felicity’s heart sped up, and she knew from the look on his face what he wasn’t saying, he thought that it wasn’t a coincidence and Oliver and Declan were being targeted.

She agreed.

Felicity put down the screw driver she was holding trading it out for her keyboard. She immediately started typing. Thankfully, no hacking was necessary since the SCPD had access to the prison’s network. She checked the prison logs first, verifying that Oliver was still in the building and so was…

“Quentin, Laurel’s there too. The log says she went to visit Peter Declan.” Felicity said, trying to not sound panicked.

Fear and anger played across his face, and he clenched his fist. “God damn it! I told her to stay away from Declan. I’m gonna take the SWAT team and the mobile command bus up there. I want you patched in the system here and directing the team on where to go.”

He turned to leave, but she stood up quickly, “No! I’m not staying here. I can do all of that from the bus. And if they need help restoring power, I’m the best person for the job. I’m coming with you.”

“You are not going anywhere near that place!” Lance yelled, his voice rougher than usual. “Laurel is already in there and I won’t risk your safety either.”

He sounded scared, which was the only reason she didn’t raise her voice back at him. “C’mon Quentin, _please._ I need to be there, this is Laurel and Oliver we’re talking about.”

She may not be close to Laurel, but she was still Quentin’s daughter and Sara’s sister. Felicity wanted to help her. And Oliver was in there.

He was her partner, she had his back and he had hers.

She needed to be there to help him.

Lance frowned, studying her face for a long moment. “Alright, you can come. But you stay inside the bus at all times, are we clear?”

“Crystal.” She agreed, grabbing her tablet and purse.   
Lance let out a heavy sigh before pulling out his phone and making a few calls. He was still giving orders over the phone as she followed him out of her office and down to the garage where the mobile command center was kept. She saw the members of the SWAT team readying their gear and loading up the SWAT truck which was parked next to the bus.

“Sir, we’re almost ready then we’ll follow you to Iron Heights.” A SWAT member in full tactical gear informed Lance, the tag on his uniform read ‘Jones.’

“Good. Felicity go get set up inside the bus. I’m still waiting on a few more officers to join us.” Lance ordered her.

She nodded, doing as he asked. She couldn’t help but feel worried, because Lance always called her by a pet name so if he was using her real name than he was more freaked out than he was letting on.

Felicity sat down at the desk in the command center, tapping into the prison network. By the time she had all the feeds up and picked the best place for the SWAT team to breach, they were on the road to Iron Heights. She saw Oliver, Laurel and Declan all speaking to one another in the visitation room.

They all seemed worried, but safe, and Felicity prayed they’d get there in time before anything bad happened.

 

**

 

Oliver walked stealthily through down the hall, Laurel and Declan trailing close behind him. The blaring alarms covered up Laurel and Declan’s loud steps for the most part, and his own were silent. But while it hid the sound of their own footsteps, it also blocked the sound of any incoming which wasn’t ideal. The emergency lights were still the only thing lighting their path, and they weren’t doing much since it was semi-dark in the hallway.

Three inmates came turned the corner at the end of the hall, spotting them. Oliver threw his arm out behind him, pushing Laurel and Declan into the wall as he ran forward meeting the men head on. He had them all on the ground and incapacitated in a matter of moments.

Oliver flexed his hands into fists and back again, his knuckles stinging. He hadn’t fought with his hands unprotected in a long time, he hadn’t needed too, and he knew that his knuckles were going to bruise.

He turned back to see Laurel staring at him, looking unnerved. Her eyes flicked between the men on the ground and him standing there as if she wasn’t quite sure of what she was seeing, but she didn’t say a word. Declan kept quiet as well.

“Come on. We need to keep moving.” He said to them both, keeping his voice low.

They were close to the security check point where his gun and phone were, along with the entrance. He just needed to get all three of them there so he could send Laurel out and go back to help get the prison under control.

The three of them had just rounded the corner when a door slammed open right behind them, and Laurel screamed. Oliver whirled around to see a man he’d only seen in a mugshot picture holding his arm around Laurel’s waist and a sharp prison shiv pointed at her throat. The name ‘Samuels’ was printed in big, black block letters on his grey prison uniform.

Oliver saw red.

A fierce fury he had never experienced before filled his veins, so strong it felt like it was burning him on the inside. His eyes narrowed onto the makeshift knife as Laurel whimpered.

“Stay back! Come any closer and I’ll slice her pretty throat. She’s gonna be my ticket out of here.” Samuels snarled, digging the point of the knife into the skin of Laurel’s neck.

He wasn’t sure if Laurel was even aware that it was Kent Samuels who had her, but Oliver knew. Oliver knew what that son of a bitch was capable of and he had no doubts that he was telling the truth.

And there was no way Oliver was going to let him walk out of the prison where he belonged. Whatever it took.

“I can’t do that.” Oliver said, holding up his hands and taking a step closer and forcing Samuels to back into the doorway he came from. “Let her go, Samuels!”

Laurel’s eyes widened at the sound of his name and a new fear filled her face as the realization of who held her hostage hit her.    

The man cocked his head, studying Oliver while also pulling Laurel back into the hallway he just exited. Oliver didn’t dare look away from Samuels as he followed, forcing them further back into the hall and farther from the entrance. He vaguely realized they were stepping into another long hallway, this one empty except for another door at the very end. Oliver could only assume it led to the cells of the other inmates.

“I know you,” Samuels said suddenly, but his grip on the knife not wavering, “You’re Oliver Queen. I used to work for your company. Way back when your mother was still in charge, she’s one scary bitch. But I didn’t realize you became a cop, I’m sure mommy dearest is thrilled.” He grinned, a twisted, sick version that held no joy.

Oliver clenched his fists, ignoring the sting in his knuckles. He met Samuel’s eyes, knowing the other man could see the darkness and the rage burning within them. Samuels swallowed and tightened his arm around Laurel’s waist enough that she gasped.

“I know you too.” Oliver said, his tone nothing short of forbidding, “I’ve read all about what got you sent here. You like to prey on women because you’re a spineless coward. Looks like prison hasn’t changed that.”

The man laughed, but there was no amusement in it. “So, you know about that little blonde whore. You read about it though? Did mommy not tell you all about her?”

Oliver stepped forwards threateningly, stopping short when Laurel cried out as the knife cut her and a thin line of blood dripped down the column of her neck.

“I’ll take that as a no, since it you’re so very touchy about her.” Samuels widened his eyes purposefully, and gasped dramatically, “ _Oh._ I get it now, last I heard she was working at the SCPD. You must have met her there. Of course, you’re _the_ Oliver Queen and she’s a pretty little thing especially wearing those short skirts, you’re probably fucking her. Felicity was always a tease, guess I just needed a bigger bank account.”

“Don’t you dare say her name!” Oliver thundered, barely keeping himself in place, “You sick son of a bitch!”

Samuels tutted at him, “Now that’s not a very nice thing to say to the man holding a knife to this one’s throat. You’re going to let me past you and through the front door or I’ll cut her throat. I never got to do that with _Felicity_ , but there’s a first time for everything, right?” He grinned that same twisted smile, emphasizing her name with a hint of longing in his voice. “Maybe I’ll pay her a little visit once I’m out.”

Oliver met Laurel’s eyes, silently telling her to go slack in his arms. She seemed to understand, giving a small, almost imperceptible nod. He turned his attention back to Samuels.

“That’s never going to happen.” Oliver growled, meaning every word. It’d have to be over his dead body before Samuels would ever get near Felicity again.

Laurel sagged against Samuels, and he lost his grip on her for just a second, but it was enough time for Oliver to rush forward to grab the makeshift knife in his grip. He barely noticed Laurel run past him as he and Samuels fought over the knife. Oliver threw his weight forward, tackling Samuels to the ground roughly. He landed on top of him and was able to pin the wrist holding the knife down. Oliver slammed his wrist repeatedly into the concrete, hard enough for him to hear bones cracking.

Samuels screamed, letting go of the knife. Oliver pushed it out of both of their reaches, but instead of stopping, he heard Samuels taunts about Felicity run through his head.

_She’s a pretty little thing_

_Maybe I’ll pay her a visit_

_Felicity was always a tease_

With a roar, and rage burning through him, he rained down punches onto Samuel’s face and body. All he could see was red, whether from the anger or the blood, he didn’t know and didn’t care. Every time he attempted to stop hitting him, images of the bruises, bitemarks, and cuts on Felicity from what he did to her floated through his mind and fueled his fury.

“Ollie! Oliver! Stop!”

He barely heard Laurel as she tried to pull him off of Samuels, he jerked away from her, intent on continuing his vengeance. It took both Laurel and Declan’s hands pulling him back for him to stop delivering blows, not because they were strong enough to pull him off, but Oliver had to pause in order to push them both away. He looked down at Samuels, seeing the bloody mess that used to be his face. He wasn’t moving underneath him, and for one brief moment, Oliver felt an intense satisfaction that he might be dead.

That thought is what shook him out of his rage.

It scared him that the same darkness he’d been trying to keep at bay since Hong Kong came out. One he hadn’t felt in a while, because of her. She kept it at bay.  

_Felicity_.

He knew Felicity wouldn’t want him to kill someone in cold blood. She wouldn’t want this. She thought he was good.

Oliver knew he wasn’t, but he could at least stop what he was doing before it was irreversible.  

With that thought, he rolled off of Samuels.

“Is he breathing?” Oliver asked Laurel his tone flat, staring at his bloody hands and unable to look away.

He heard movement and a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, he’s alive.” Laurel answered, her voice shaking.

The door to the hall way burst open and Oliver rolled to the side, grabbing the discarded knife before jumping to his feet and readied it to throw. He lowered it when he saw Lance in his SCPD Kevlar vest with his weapon drawn and a few members of the SWAT team came in behind him, clearing the rest of the area.

“Dad!” Laurel cried out in relief and rushed into his open arms.

“Are you alright?” Lance asked, concerned. He pulled back from her and looked her up and down, no doubt seeing the cut on her throat.

She nodded, “I’m fine. I just want to get out of here.”

Lance pressed his lips together, as if to stop himself from saying ‘I told you so.’

“Davis!” He called, and a man in SWAT gear turned around, “Take my daughter outside to the medics. Don’t leave her side.”

“Yes sir.” The man answered, gently grabbing Laurels arm and guiding her from the room.

Lance finally turned his attention Oliver, he didn’t even look at Samuels unconscious form on the ground. “Do you need the medic’s too?”

Oliver shook his head numbly. Besides his bloody and bruised sore knuckles, he was unhurt. Samuels hadn’t even landed a punch on him.

Lance took a step closer, placing his hand on Oliver shoulder. “You did good, kid.”

Oliver jerked his head up and looked at his Captain in surprise. He nearly beat a man to death with his bare hands.

Lance saw he was about to protest and squeezed his shoulder to silence him. “We saw everything. Felicity’s been tapped into the camera’s, we know what happened. You did _good._ ”

Oliver’s heart clenched painfully in his chest, he never wanted her to see him like that. Like he truly was. He was violent man with the ability to cause great harm to others. Oliver didn’t want Felicity to fear him, or to know the extent of what he was capable of. But now she’d seen the darkness that scared even himself, and he didn’t know if she’d be able to look at him the same way.

Oliver was struck with a desperate urge to see her and explain himself, or convince her, with whatever he needed to say, that he wouldn’t ever hurt her.

He needed to know she wasn’t scared of him.

He needed to know she didn’t see him the way he saw himself.

Lance must’ve read what Oliver was thinking because he let out a sigh before releasing his shoulder. “She’s out front in the mobile command bus. Go.”

Oliver didn’t need to be told twice. He rushed through the halls and made it out the front door in no time. He didn’t have to search for long for her, because she rounded the side of the bus that was parked out front, just as he was going through the gate that led to the parking lot. Blue and red flashing emergency lights lit up her face, and what he saw there made his chest unclench ever so slightly.

She looked relieved and happy to see him.

“Oliver! Are you alright? Do you need the EMT’s? You’re covered in blood, of course you’re not alright. I’ll go get the EMT’s. You should sit down and I’ll-,“ Felicity rambled, gesturing to one of the multiple ambulances stationed around.

“Felicity,” He breathed, as what she said registered in his mind, he looked down at himself, at some point his white shirt had become splattered with blood. “I’m fine. It’s… It’s not my blood.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, still let’s get you cleaned up.” She said, then without hesitation she gently grabbed one of his blood covered hands and pulled him over to the bumper of the nearest ambulance.

Felicity pushed softly at his shoulders, urging him to sit on the edge. He obliged, sitting down and not taking his eyes off her face. From where he sat Oliver was eye to eye with her, their height difference gone. She climbed into the back of the ambulance, searching through it and his eyes followed her the whole time. Her pony tail was falling out slightly, wisps of curly blonde hair framing her face as her glasses slid down her nose. He watched as she absentmindedly pushed them up, while she rummaged through the cabinet.

There was a slight wrinkle between her eyes, leading to her forehead, and he wondered if it was because of him, what’d he done, or if she was just concentrating.

“Aha! Got it.” Felicity exclaimed, brandishing a package of gauze, medical tape, antibacterial cream and bottle of sterile water.

She jumped down from the ambulance and stumbled a bit when she landed. He would have held to her waist to steady her, but he remembered what her reaction was the last time he did that, and he didn’t want to startle her.

Oliver also didn’t want to touch her with his hands covered in blood.

It felt wrong to him.

His damaged, blood covered hands didn’t belong anywhere near her.

Felicity didn’t seem to share the same sentiment as she confidently pulled one of his hands towards her. She carefully guided his fingers open from the tight fist he didn’t realize he was making. They were both quiet as she set about her task of cleaning his hands.

She was so tender and so careful as she wiped away all trace of what he’d done, revealing his swollen and split open knuckles underneath. The skin was an angry redish purple, already starting to bruise. Felicity dabbed the antibacterial cream over each knuckle on both hands, before wrapping more gauze around them and adding the medical tape to hold it in place.

Her own fingers were soft and smooth over his rough and damaged skin.

She held one of his hands in each of hers and using her thumbs, she ran them over the tape one last time to make sure it was secure before finally looking up into his eyes.

Tears swam in her beautiful blue eyes and it felt like a punch to his gut.

“I’m sorry.” He said, barely above a whisper.

She blinked at him, the tears clearing in her eyes and replaced with confusion.

“Why are you sorry?” Felicity asked, matching the low volume of his voice.

“Because you had to see me like that… and hear what he said. I know it couldn’t of been easy for you, and I’m so sorry I lost control and you saw it. But it won’t happen again. I just got _so_ angry.” His tone was borderline pleading, as he stared into her bright blue eyes silently communication what he really wanted to say.

_Please don’t be afraid of me._

 Her eyes softened and she seemed to understand.

“Oh, _Oliver.”_ She said his name like a gentle reprimand. “No. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. He’s a bad person who was going to do more bad things. You did what you had to do.” Her words were an echo of what he’d said to her when she first told him about Samuels.

Oliver searched her eyes for any hint of fear or reluctance, but as always with her, there was nothing but honesty.

He couldn’t handle it. He felt like he was lying to her.

Oliver shook his head, keeping his eyes downcast. “You don’t understand. I was going to kill him. I thought he was dead for a second and all I felt was relief. No guilt. That makes me the bad person.”

She let go of his hands, and it was all the confirmation he needed to know that she thought the same.

He was surprised when he felt her cool, soft hands on either side of his face. She pulled his face up to meet his eyes and he felt his stubble dig into her palms.

“Hey, we already had this conversation in the hospital. Remember? You’re not a bad person. You could have killed him, yes, but you didn’t. That’s what matters. It’s not like he was innocent, he deserved what you gave him. I know a bad person when I see one, and you, Oliver Queen, are as good as they come.” Her face was close to his as she spoke, and he could feel the warm puff of her breath across his mouth and cheeks.

The weight on his chest seemed to lessen as he stared into the depth of her blue eyes. He saw nothing but trust and honesty in them. His eyes flicked to her bright pink lips, and back to her eyes. She moved the tiniest bit closer, close enough to for him hear the slightest gasp she made.

“Am I interrupting something?” Lance’s clearly unamused voice broke through whatever moment they had going on.

Felicity dropped her hands from his face like she was burned, taking a large step back. Her cheeks were red. Oliver leaned back slightly as well.

“No, of course not,” Felicity squeaked, before clearing her throat, “Nothing to interrupt. Just talking. Only talking.” She laughed nervously.

Lance narrowed his eyes at her, before rubbing a weary hand over his face. “Right. Anyways, thought you should both know we found Ankov, the body guard, disguised in a guard’s uniform. He wasn’t able to get out of the prison in time and when we caught him, he confessed to everything from Camille’s murder to screwing with the power in there all under Brodeur’s orders. The idiot thought if he snitched then we’d put him in WITSEC.”

“Good,” Oliver said firmly, “Then it’s over.”

Felicity nodded. “Do we have enough to get Istook too?”

“Yeah, we should. At least for conspiracy to commit murder and destruction of evidence, not too mention perjury. You both did good work.” Lance complimented, a proud tone in his voice.

Felicity gave him a quick smile, then frowned. “How’s Laurel? I know from experience that being threatened by Samuels isn’t fun.”

She tried to sound light and have it come off as a joke, but he could hear the seriousness underneath.

Lance smiled at her, “She’s okay, sweetheart. Just a small cut and probably more than a few nightmares, but she’ll be fine.” He turned to Oliver, “You can head home, get some rest. I’ll take your official statement tomorrow morning.”

Then like he thought better of what he said, he gave Oliver a once over. “You good to drive?”

“I’m good.” Oliver confirmed, standing from the bumper of the ambulance.

Lance didn’t seem convinced, but he nodded at Oliver anyways, “Goodnight, kid. Drive safe.”

Captain Lance spared a glance at Felicity then looked back towards Oliver, then with another weary sigh he turned on his heel and walked away leaving them alone.

“Goodnight, Oliver. Sweet dreams.” Felicity spoke quietly, her cheeks still flushed as she looked up at him.

He couldn’t help but wonder if she would have kissed him if Lance hadn’t interrupted.

Oliver pushed that thought away, he wasn’t in the right mind set right now to be kissing anyone, especially not someone like Felicity.

“Night, Felicity.” He said, then before he could talk himself out of it, he pulled her into his arms, hugging her.

Oliver held her loosely at first, giving her the opportunity to pull away if she wanted too. But instead of pulling away or tensing, she relaxed into his embrace. Her arms came up around him, resting her palms against his back and turning her head to lay against his chest. He tightened his grip for a moment, savoring the feel of her in his arms.

It was like the whole world fell away to nothing but them standing there.

She seemed so delicate and so small against his much larger body. The intense need to protect her from threats, like Samuels, abated as he held her, like there was no safer place but in his arms.

He just hoped she couldn’t hear how fast his heart was beating.

Unwillingly, Oliver lowered his arms and stepped back. She moved away too, smiling shyly at him.

“See you tomorrow?” Felicity asked, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

“Tomorrow.” He promised.

With a final smile at her, he walked to his car. On his way, he passed Laurel. He was going to stop and apologize for what she’d seen him do when he saw her speaking into her cell phone. He overheard her conversation as moved closer. She stood with her back to the parking lot, facing Iron Heights and away from him.

“I’m okay, Tommy. It was terrifying but I’m hurt too bad. Just a cut.” Laurel said placatingly, then paused as Tommy answered. “No, Oliver’s physically fine too. But...”

Oliver was going to stop listening and walk away but he wanted to hear what she was about to say.

“Tommy, I just… I knew Ollie wasn’t the same when he got back but if you would of seen him tonight you wouldn’t of recognized your best friend. He nearly killed an unarmed man with his bare hands. I’ve never seen anything like that, the look on his face… it was terrifying. There was nothing there, it was like he had shut down his emotions except for anger…It wasn’t Ollie anymore.” She stopped, most likely listening to Tommy on the other end.

But Oliver had heard enough, refusing to let her ruin the light feeling Felicity had left him with. He turned away from her and went to his car, without a second look behind him.

 

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lemme get. uhhhh, some fluff with a small side of unresolved sexual tension. Oh and some Roylicity scenes, extra snark please

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I am so very sorry for this very late update! My original plan was on Monday and I had everything written out and just needed to edit it then I got super sick and have been for the past few days all while also having to go to work, and today was the first day I've felt well enough (and have enough brain function lol) to write/edit. But it ended up being over 6k and 25 pages in word so its a big one and i hope that makes up for it.   
> On another note, I was absolutely blown away by the response to last chapter and I can't thank you guys enough for all your lovely words and awesome support!! I'm still trying to respond to everyones comments. So I'll just say thank you!! <3
> 
> And as always if you wonderful readers would leave a comment/kudo I'd be forever grateful! I love yalls feedback. So glad yall are still sticking with me and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 

 

The alarm going off on Friday morning was a relief to Felicity, it meant that yesterday was over, and it was time to move on.  

Yesterday had been a rough day, and last night she was hit with extremely vivid nightmares. Seeing Samuels on the cameras as he held a knife to Laurel’s throat had brought back her own unpleasant memories. The only good part was that he was still locked away in prison, with a few more bruises than he started with, and that Laurel was safe.

She laid in bed, staring at her ceiling and thinking about everything that happened the night before.

There was the tiny crazy detail of Felicity being pretty sure Oliver was going to kiss her, and even crazier, she had wanted him to do it with her.

Kissing, she meant. Even in her own mind, she made innuendos.

Not do _it._

Like sex.

Just good ole fashioned kissing.

Felicity felt her cheeks start to warm up at the thought of kissing Oliver. Then she shook her head, clearing the image. There’s no way he was going to kiss her, she was just misreading the situation.

And even if he was, he was clearly in an emotional state, like she was, and she was the one comforting him while holding his face, so it was only natural that it felt intimate and intense. They were friends, just friends, and partners.

Nothing more.

Felicity thought back to the feel of his stubble against her palms. It was softer than she expected, tickling her skin instead of pricking it. His voice had seemed so desperate and raw, and his body language seemed defeated in a way that made her want to give him some of her strength and she hadn’t thought twice before reaching for his face and turning it up to make him meet her eyes. Anyone in that situation with someone who looked like Oliver Queen would feel like it was more intimate than it really was.

Yeah, she must of misread the situation.

He hugged her for goodness sakes, that’s like one of the friendliest things to do. Even if it was a really good hug.

She cringed at herself. That made her seem like a preteen girl. But it was true, she hadn’t realized how much she missed the comfort of being in another person’s arms until she had his strong ones wrapped around her. Felicity hadn’t even felt the slightest discomfort, only warmth and safety.

Felicity missed that feeling, and she hadn’t wanted to let go.

A loud bang against her wall startled her out of her musings.

“Wake up, ‘Lis! I heard your alarm go off but not the shower. You’re gonna be late if you don’t get your cute little ass up!” Sara’s very loud, and unnecessary, voice came through the wall.

Felicity groaned, once again regretting her decision to move into the apartment next to her best friend. She loved Sara, truly and deeply, but the crazy lady has no sense of boundaries.

“Seriously Sara? Its super creepy that you’re listening through the walls again! Why are you even up anyways? It’s six in the morning on Friday, you always sleep in.” She yelled back, knocking her fist against the wall.

Her phone went off alerting to a text, she glanced at it and saw Sara’s name. With a roll of her eyes, she got out of bed and grabbed her phone, swiping across the screen to read the text.

_Sara: Got up early to make Nyssa breakfast in bed, because I’m an awesome girlfriend and our anniversary is tomorrow. You can swing by and I’ll give you some for yourself and my dad (:_

“You’re a goddess Sara Lance! And you’re also whipped! Love you!” Felicity shouted through the wall, trying to hold back her laughter.

Her phone dinged again.

_Sara: First off, I’m not whipped I just love my girlfriend. Secondly, I love you too but shut up before you wake up Nyssa_

Felicity let out a loud laugh at the text. Sara started it, so it’d be her fault if Nyssa woke up. Feeling brighter and more cheerful than she had in a while, Felicity walked out of her bedroom and into the bathroom.

She reached into her shower and turned the knob, only for nothing to happen.

No water, and no sound of water rushing through the pipes.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” Felicity all but yelled.

She tried the knob again, twisting harder and nothing happened, yet again.

Of course. She couldn’t just have one, just _one,_ good morning without anything messing up her day. Felicity took a deep breath, and grabbed her toiletries, towel and robe, before stalking out of her apartment. She was knocking on Sara’s door a moment later.

Sara opened it almost immediately, looking amused and a little surprised to see her.

“Food’s not ready yet. And you still need to shower, you got some major bed head going on.” Sara teased, grinning at her.

Felicity pouted. “I tried to shower and the frakking water didn’t come out. Is yours working? Can I use it, please?”

Sara looked at her sympathetically, “That sucks. But yeah, it is and of course you can use it. Come on in.” She stepped back and opened the door wider.

Twenty minutes later, Felicity was showered and sitting in her robe at Sara’s tiny table eating pancakes and fruit. Felicity couldn’t cook to save her life, so she relied on take out or frozen food most of the time and it was a relief to have a hot, homecooked and delicious meal. Sara had made bacon too, but even though Felicity wasn’t a devout Jew, she still tried to eat as kosher as she could.

Felicity was enjoying catching up with Sara and talking about what had been going on in her week, and it was exactly what Felicity needed. Apparently, Sara was taking Nyssa to some fancy restaurant tomorrow for dinner then they were going to go on a walk in a little park they both loved where Sara was going to surprise her with wine, dessert and candles.

“You’re such a hopeless romantic. It’s cute.” Felicity told Sara, unable to stop the grin stretching across her face.

“Shut up,” Sara glared, pointing her fork threateningly at Felicity before grumbling, ”I just love her so much and I want to show her how special she is to me.”

“Like I said, you’re a hopeless romantic.”

“Yeah, well I heard you having some male company the other night.” Sara said, then almost accusingly added, “Why didn’t you tell me you were dating again?”

Felicity choked on the pancake she was eating. Coughing loudly, she beat herself on the chest to dislodge the food.

“Guess it didn’t go well if that’s the reaction, huh?” Sara remarked, sounding disappointed.

“No! It was just Oliver,” She explained, at his name Sara’s eyes widened, “Not on a date! We aren’t dating and he wasn’t there for that. I am so not dating right now. And especially not Oliver. He came over for work stuff. That’s it.”

Sara raised an eyebrow in a way that made it clear she didn’t believe Felicity. “Really? He was there pretty late.”

Felicity shot her an annoyed look. “Seriously, Sara? Boundaries. We’ve talked about this, just because you can hear doesn’t mean you should listen. I don’t listen to you and Nyssa! There was just a lot of work stuff we had to do.”

She wasn’t actually mad at Sara for listening, but she needed to make sure Sara didn’t do it again. Felicity didn’t want to risk Sara finding out about everything. It’d put her in too much danger.

She raised her hands defensively, “I was sitting on the couch watching TV, I didn’t mean to listen. I’m sorry! Besides, all I could make out were voices, I didn’t hear anything that was said.”

Felicity believed her, because she knew if Sara had heard what they were talking about she would of confronted Felicity about it already.

“You’re forgiven, but only because these pancakes are literal heaven.” Felicity teased, changing the subject.

Sara noticed her teasing tone and gave her a relieved smile.

“You only think that because the one time you tried to make pancakes using my recipe you almost burned down your apartment.”

“I didn’t realize you had to flip them.” Felicity huffed, her lips pouting.

Sara shook her head, letting out a laugh full of amusement and fond exasperation. “Sometimes I really do wonder if you’re just lying about the 170 IQ.” 

 

**

 

“Good morning!” Felicity greeted Quentin cheerfully, dropping the Tupperware container holding the breakfast Sara made on his desk. “Brought you breakfast.” 

Lance looked up from the paper he was reading, giving her a smile. “Morning, sweetheart. What’s got you so happy this morning?”

Felicity grinned, then shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing particularly, I just had nice morning.”

And she had, despite the fact that her shower was broken, and her building super still hadn’t called her back, hot yummy breakfast and catching up with Sara had put her in a good mood.

“I see. So, is that why you brought me homemade breakfast?” He asked, eyeing the Tupperware wearily.

 “Not completely, I did that because I love you and you don’t eat the way you should.” She chastised him, pushing the container closer to him.

Lance opened it, looking inside cautiously.

“Looks great, thank you sweetheart.” He said, but in the same way a parent does when their small child hands them a terrible drawing they can’t quite make out.

Felicity huffed, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t make it. Sara did. It’s safe to eat, I promise.”

He visibly relaxed, “Oh. Well, in that case I can’t wait to dig in.”

“You don’t have to sound so relieved about it,” Felicity complained, pouting slightly, “I already had Sara tell me how terrible of a cook I was this morning, I don’t need it from you too.”

“Sorry, kiddo.” Lance apologized, humor in his voice. “You girls are too good to me, I don’t know what I did to deserve it.”

“Just by being your usual grump on the outside, marshmallow on the inside self.” Felicity winked at him, a teasing smirk on her lips.

“I’ll show you a grump if you don’t start working, don’t think I didn’t notice you’re late. You’re making me look bad, so scram, sweetheart.” He grumbled, softening his words with the pet name and making a shooing motion with his hands.

But Felicity wasn’t offended because she saw the warmth and affection in his eyes, like she said, he was big ole softy.

She gave him a mock salute, before saying seriously, “Yes, Captain. Right away sir!”

“Only you can make Captain sound like an insult.” Felicity heard him mutter under his breath as she walked into the hallway.

She couldn’t help but giggle.

“You get to leave the Captain’s office laughing, even after being late, when earlier this morning he literally yelled at me because he thought my tie was too flashy.” Oliver called out from behind her, a whine in his voice.

She turned around to see him standing casually, his car keys in one hand and a paper coffee cup in the other. Her eyes fell to his knuckles, they were bruised a deep purplish blue and seemed swollen. Felicity didn’t want him to notice her staring, so she switched her focus to the aforementioned tie instead, it was dark navy in color and patterned with diagonal silvery grey stripes, the navy a perfect match to his suit. A suit that was probably more expensive than the rest of the detective’s in the SCPD’s put together. Felicity was raised in Vegas, she could tell a cheap suit when she saw one and his was not it.

Sometimes, she forgot how ludicrously rich Oliver was.

He was still a Queen after all.   

It was tailored to him perfectly, outlining his broad shoulders and fitting snugly enough against his biceps to see the size of the large muscle underneath the suit jacket. A blush rose to her cheeks as she remembered the feel of those same arms around her. All in all, he looked extremely handsome.

“What I got from that is you’re jealous because I’m his favorite.” Felicity said, a teasing lilt in her tone, hoping he didn’t notice her staring. “But on a serious note, Lance just enjoys screwing with you. I’m sure he didn’t mean it because you look really good today… I mean, your tie looks good. Like with your suit. Definitely not flashy.” She blurted out, a few octaves higher than she usually spoke.

Oliver grinned at her, “Thank you, Felicity.”

“No problem,” She squeaked, then immediately cringed at her ability to make every conversation as awkward as possible.

Humor danced in his eyes, but instead of commenting further he twirled his key ring around his finger. “I have to go, there was an armed robbery at a convenience store in the Glades. Uniforms got the scene taped off, but looks like the guy got away, I need to canvas for witnesses, take statements and maybe even find the suspect. See you later?”

“Crime waits for no man.” She joked, then added more seriously, “Good luck catching the bad guy.”

 

**

 

Two hours later, Felicity was at Detective Halls desk giving her a flash drive with video evidence of her suspect buying drugs from his dealer. Mckenna had asked her to get the footage and ID the dealer, and Felicity had done so easily. Apparently, the dealer was a part of a huge cocaine operation that the SCPD was trying to take down.

“Thanks Felicity, I really appreciate it.” Mckenna said, a smile on her face. “This is going to be a huge bust.”

Felicity returned it. “Of course. Just doing my job. Let me know if you need anything else!”

“I will. You’re the best tech we have.” Mckenna complimented her.

Felicity never knew how to handle a compliment, it’s not that she doubted her skills, she was just prone to start babbling because she felt awkward.

“Oh, well,” Felicity fumbled, “There’s some other good tech’s here, but thank you.”

Mckenna laughed, “I appreciate you trying to be humble but we both know you’re the best. Why settle for another tech when I can work with the best one, who also happens to be a woman, and the only one in her department? It’s too much of a boys club around here. Us girls have got to stick together.”

Felicity could tell Mckenna was being genuine with her words and she appreciated it more than she could say. Mckenna knew what it was like to work in a male dominated field and not be taken seriously because she had a pair of boobs, so it was a relief to have that bond with one another. They shared a knowing look, built from similar experiences of the struggles of being a woman and the camaraderie it created.

“I couldn’t agree more, Ms. Badass Vice Detective.” Felicity grinned at her then raised an eyebrow speculatively, “Maybe even soon to be Lieutenant if this bust goes well?”

Mckenna’s face lit up with excitement and ambition. “You really think so?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then I guess I better get to work.” Mckenna said, voice full of fierce determination.

“You got this.” Felicity told her, and they smiled at each other one last time before Felicity made to leave.

She turned on her heel, about to walk back to her office, when she saw the last person she wanted to see in hand cuffs being led into the precinct.  

Could she seriously not have one day where nothing happened?

Roy Harper was wearing an angry expression, his usual red hoodie and a pair of silver handcuffs. An officer she had only seen in passing was gripping his upper arm tightly and marching him to Oliver’s desk. Felicity stalked over to them quickly, a frown on her face.

“Roy Harper! What is going on?” She demanded, on the edge of Loud Voice territory.

Roy flinched at her tone, then glared at the officer holding him. “Why don’t you ask Sherlock Holmes here? He thinks he has it all figured out.” The sarcasm and pure venom in his words were unmistakable.

Felicity turned her attention to the so-called Holmes.

“Well?” She commanded, then glanced at the name on his chest. “Why is he in handcuffs, Officer Davis?”

“I was patrolling in the area of the armed robbery in the Glades after the suspect escaped and I found this delinquent in an alley standing over the bloody perp and holding the money, Ms. Smoak. Looks like the they were partners and this one,” Davis pushed Roy forcefully into the seat at side of Oliver’s desk, “got greedy and beat up his partner to take all the profit. Detective Queen is on his way here to interview him as soon as he’s done talking to the other guy. Harper here put him in the hospital.”

Roy laughed, a smug smirk on his face. Felicity kicked him in the shin in response.

She didn’t believe for a second the story the officer was spinning, Roy wouldn’t rob a convenience store. At least, not now. Maybe before her interference in his life, but now? There was no way. He was finally doing good and moving forward with his life.

“Ow, Blondie.” He complained, turning his glare onto her.

“Shut it, Roy.” She hissed, not even sparing him a glance and keeping her focus on Davis. “Obviously, this is a huge a misunderstanding. Roy wouldn’t commit armed robbery. So, you can unhandcuff him while we wait on Oliver to get here and get this all figured out.” Felicity attempted a charming smile.

“I can’t do that ma’am, he’s dangerous. And it’s not a misunderstanding. He even tried to lie and say he was stopping the perp from getting away, but I’ve seen Harper’s rap sheet. There’s no way I believe that.” Davis snorted, sounding convinced.

“Well, you should because it’s the truth, you idiot.” Roy snarked.

Officer Davis looked pissed, but Felicity interfered before he could act on his anger.

“Alright, alright. Oliver should be here soon, so I’ll wait with Roy. You can go, Officer Davis.” Felicity offered, taking Oliver’s own chair and sitting down.

Davis seemed offended at the dismissal, and a more than a little nervous as he shifted his gaze to Captain Lances office before landing back on her. “I can’t do that either, Ms. Smoak. Like I said, he’s dangerous and you’re unarmed. I’m the arresting officer, I need to stay.”

Felicity rolled her eyes, scoffing. He was obviously more afraid of his Captains wrath than he was for her safety.

“One, he’s handcuffed, and two, there’s literally cops everywhere. Not to mention, Roy would never hurt me.” She said her annoyance clear, but he still seemed unconvinced, so she added, “If it’s Lance you’re worried about, he knows Roy and he knows I’m more than capable of handling myself. So, I’ll be fine, you can go. I won’t tell him a thing.”

He nodded uncertainly but left them alone, sparing another worried glance at Lance’s office as he walked away.

“Since when are you on first name basis with Oliver Queen?” Roy asked, seemingly relaxed for being handcuffed and accused of assault and armed robbery.

“None of your business.” She shot back.

Roy leaned forwards as much as he could with his hands bound behind his back with an evil grin on his face, “Oooh, touchy. Does Blondie have a crush?”

Felicity never had a little brother, or siblings for that matter, but if she had, then she guessed that what she was feeling must’ve been the same thing big sisters tended to feel around their annoying little brothers.

It was a mix of irritation and fondness.

“I told you to stop calling me that, Abercrombie. And no, I don’t, we’re just friends and partners. We’ve been working together a lot lately, so of course I’m not going to call him Detective Queen the whole time.” Felicity explained sarcastically, unable to stop her cheeks from heating at his suggestion.

“Blondie, you don’t have friends, except for Sara and me.” He observed, ignoring her request for him to stop calling her that.

Felicity gaped at him, kicking him in the shin again. “You are so rude, Roy Harper! I _do_ have friends, one of which includes Nyssa, who I’m now considering calling so she can teach you some manners.”

A flicker of apprehension crossed his face, before he walked back what he said, “I didn’t mean it in a rude way, sorry. I just meant it’s surprising, but nice that you’re making more friends. Please don’t call Nyssa.”

“Apology semi-accepted. Before I completely absolve you, I need you to explain what the hell you were doing with a suspect in an armed robbery? You better use your nice, _polite_ words, or I will call Nyssa.”

“I was walking to the gym when I saw the guy running out of the store with a pillow case of money and a ski mask, it was obvious what was happening, but I didn’t see any cops,” Roy scoffed at that, “So I chased after him. He ran into an alley, we fought, I won, then as soon as I picked up the bag to take it back that idiot with a badge shows up and puts me in handcuffs. He didn’t believe a word I said, ‘cause all he saw was a poor teenager in the Glades so I must be a thug.”

Felicity’s heart went out to him. Roy was trying to do the right thing, as dangerous as it was, and he got punished for it.

“You’re a brave idiot, you know that right? You could’ve been killed,” He looked like he was going to protest so she spoke over him talking louder, “ _But_ I’m proud of you. You did a good thing. Oliver’s smart and he’ll believe you, I’m sure of it.”  Felicity said with complete conviction.

“I hope you’re right, Blondie.” He muttered, then met her eyes, an unmistakable shine of gratefulness staring back at her, “Thanks for the other thing you said too, and for believing me.”

“I’ll always believe in you, Roy.” Felicity smiled at him, “Especially when that hero complex inevitably gets you in more trouble.”

“I can kick some serious ass now, so I wasn’t in any danger.” Roy bragged a smirk on his face, breaking the sweetness of their moment.  

“Oh yeah? Guess that means all the mediation you’ve been doing is helping, I’ll be sure to let Nyssa know.” It was her turn to smirk.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

 

**

 

When Oliver arrived back at the precinct, he was surprised to see Felicity sitting at his desk chatting amiably with the other suspect in the convenience store robbery. He sped up his pace, making his way to his desk quickly.

“Felicity? What’re you doing?” Oliver asked, confusion in his tone and causing his eyebrows to draw together.

“Hey, Oliver.” She said brightly, a happy smile on her face as she looked up at him.

He couldn’t help but smile a little himself, her joy was infectious.

“Care to tell me why you’re talking to my suspect?” Oliver asked, a hint of reproach in his voice which caused her to roll her pretty blue eyes behind her glasses.

“Your suspect’s name is Roy Harper and he’s innocent. He’s also a _friend_.” She emphasized friend in a way he didn’t understand, but the kid seemed too because he snorted.

Oliver hesitated. Harper seemed guilty enough to him, he was caught red handed with money and perp. He wasn’t able to interview the first suspect yet because he was still unconscious, so Oliver decided to come back and talk to Harper.

Even though he thought Harper seemed guilty, he had faith in Felicity and in what she said.

“Okay, but he was holding the money, fought with the other suspect and has a long rap sheet.” Oliver said, caution in his tone. “You do realize how guilty he looks?” He gestured to Roy who had angry and irritated look contorting his features, which wasn’t helping paint a picture of innocence.

“That’s just his face, he always looks like that!” Felicity blurted causing Roy to let out an indignant ‘Hey!’ which they both ignored. “What I meant to say was, there’s a completely logical explanation for everything. Tell him, Roy.” Felicity continued, nudging Roy’s foot with her own.

Oliver listened as Roy told his version of what happened. He wouldn’t of believed it if not for the proud look Felicity was sporting and the fact that Roy Harper was friends with her.

Someone like Felicity inspired other people to be good.

Oliver dug his handcuff key out of his pocket and motioned for Roy to stand up, “Let’s get the cuffs off then.”

Roy stared at him in shock. “Wait, you actually believe me?”

“I do. Mostly because of her, but yeah. So, stand up before I change my mind.” Oliver responded, then added sternly, “And you should be thanking her.”

Roy didn’t need to be told twice, he stood and turned away from Oliver holding out his cuffed hands. “Thanks, Blondie. Now get these off of me.”

Oliver unlocked them easily, pocketing the key and sliding the cuffs into pocket next to his holster. He looked over at Felicity to see her positively beaming at him.

“What?” He asked her a bit self-consciously, the back of his neck heating up.

“Thank you so much for this.” Felicity said, her eyes sparkling with happiness, it lit up her face.

Her looking up at him like that, full of appreciation and like he was the best person in the world just for unhandcuffing the kid made his chest feel warm with pride and something else he didn’t want to name yet. But it was a feeling he liked having.

“I told you, you never have to thank me. Besides, we both know you’re too honest for your own good. I know you wouldn’t lie about something like this.” Oliver smiled softly at her, his voice low.

“Well, I’m still gonna keep saying thank you because you deserve to hear it.” She replied, nothing but honesty in her voice, “And yeah, but only because I suck at lying.” Felicity grinned cheekily at him.

He chuckled. “That’s also true.”

“As nice it was to meet one of Blondie’s _good friends_ ,” Roy drawled sarcastically, shooting Felicity a knowing look, “Police stations make my skin crawl. I’m out of here, unless you need something else?”

“You’re free to go.” Oliver replied.

Felicity stood from his desk chair, walking towards Roy and squeezing his arm affectionately, “Bye, Roy. I’ll see you soon at the gym. Call me if you need anything, okay? I mean it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Roy rolled his eyes, but Oliver could tell it was an empty gesture and there was no real annoyance in it.

“Make good choices.” Felicity said seriously, letting go of his arm.

“I always do.” Roy answered with a smirk before turning to leave.

“So, how’d you meet Roy?” Oliver asked Felicity, unable to hide his curiosity.

She laughed, looking in the direction Roy went. “Honestly? It was something similar to today. Dig actually busted him for stealing a car, and wow I just realized how much I miss Dig,” Felicity frowned, and then shook her head to seemingly try and get back on topic, “Anyways, there wasn’t enough evidence, so he let Roy go. We started talking and I managed to convince him to stop being an idiot, graduate high school and get a real job. I asked Sara for a favor and he works at her gym now.”

Something about the way she said it made him think it wasn’t the full story, but he didn’t question her further.

“Only you would do all of that for a stranger.” Oliver said, his voice tinged with a hint of wonder.

 Felicity shrugged her shoulders.

“I believe in second chances. He’s a good a person, he was just a little lost and needed someone to help. I didn’t mind.” She met his eyes as she said it, letting him understand she wasn’t only talking about Roy.

Not for the first time, Oliver contemplated if he was even deserving of having Felicity in his life. She was so radiant and full of light, and he was nothing except darkness, he didn’t want to tarnish her with it. But Oliver wouldn’t dare deny that she made him feel like he was more than just darkness, whether it was true or not.

Oliver reached into his pocket, pulling out two bracelets made of red yarn that he bought at the robbed convenience store.  

“The store in the Glades was Jewish owned. They had these hanging up to buy, the manager called them _kabbalah_ ,” He stumbled over the pronunciation for a moment, “They were what you were talking about the other day, right?” Oliver held one of the bracelets out to her.

Felicity looked up at him with wide eyes, and carefully picked up the bracelet. “You remembered that?”

“Of course I do. I was serious about getting us some too, we need all the luck we can get. I got one for each of us.” He explained, the pointer finger and thumb of his opposite hand rubbing together nervously.

“This is seriously so sweet, Oliver. You’re awesome. Thank you so much. I love it. Here, tie mine on then I’ll do you.” She said, grinning so large that the dimples popped in her cheeks as handed him back the bracelet.

Oliver quirked an eyebrow at her, holding back his laughter and trying not to let his mind go down the path her innuendo led.

“You know what I meant.” Felicity muttered under her breath when her words caught up with her, staring at the bracelets instead of meeting his eyes.

He saw the pink of her cheeks and couldn’t help but think how adorable she looked when she blushed. But Oliver didn’t want to embarrass her further, so he took the bracelet from her and gently brought her tiny left wrist up. Her skin was warm and smooth, and he could feel the fine bones of her wrist underneath his calloused fingertips. He tied the bracelet slowly, his fingers brushing against her soft skin as he made sure the knot was as secure as possible.

“All done.” Oliver murmured, his voice was low and held a rougher quality than usual.

He cleared his throat, and she looked up at him finally, her blue eyes were darker than typical and filled with emotions that disappeared too fast for him to read. Felicity pulled her wrist free from his hand, he hadn’t even realized he was still holding onto her, and adjusted her glasses.

“Your turn.”

He lifted his left wrist up for her, and she nimbly unbuttoned the cuff of his sleeve so she could reach his skin. Felicity was careful and purposeful as she sized it around his wrist, making sure it wasn’t too tight or too loose. He watched her hands the whole time as they fluttered across his skin, so light he barely felt it as his eyes caught on the dark green paint of her fingernails. After a few tries, she found the right size and tied the knot with ease then redid the button on his cuff pulling down his sleeve into its proper place.

The gesture felt strangely intimate, especially in its innocence.

Oliver couldn’t remember a time when a woman had unbuttoned his cuff sleeve if not for the purpose of taking off his clothes, and they most certainly hadn’t rebuttoned them afterwards.

He looked down and into her eyes, as a different feeling from the one night before came over him. It was he was hyper aware of everything around them, the ringing of the phones, people talking loudly, the scrape of chair legs against the linoleum, and the stomp of heavy boots of the uniformed officers as they walked around and Oliver was overcome with an urge to pull her into his arms, just like last night. If only to shield her from the noise and chaos around them.

Oliver knew it was ridiculous and overprotective and he had no right to do that, but deep down he couldn’t help but think she wouldn’t need a bracelet meant to protect her from harm, not if she was safely in his arms. He would gladly do that for her.

The shrill ring of her cell phone broke the moment between them. He hadn’t realized how close they were standing until she stepped back and dug her phone out of the top of her dress. Oliver averted his eyes as she did it, but not fast enough as he caught sight of her blue bra and the creamy skin of the upper portion of her chest.

He closed his eyes briefly, trying to wipe the image, and the other inappropriate scenes it conjured, from his brain. Oliver felt like he was a teenage boy again, getting excited at the sight of a bra and a bit of skin. He didn’t particularly like what it caused in him because he felt out of control of his mind and body which wasn’t something he was used to feeling. Oliver had garnered enough experience with women over the years to be able control himself, and he didn’t understand what was so different now.

The only thing that made sense was because it was Felicity, she was what was different. Something about her made him want to act on his impulses.

 “Sorry, it’s my landlord. I have to take this.” She flashed him another smile before answering the phone and making her way to her office.

 His eyes tracked her the whole time, only looking away when her door closed behind her.

 

**

 

Later that evening, Oliver stepped out of the men’s locker room freshly changed into more casual clothes than his work suit. He wore dark colored jeans, a maroon Henley and his comfortable brown leather jacket. He was going to meet Tommy for drinks at a local bar not too far from the precinct, it was one frequented by other members of the SCPD. Oliver was able to get Tommy to agree on it instead of the fancy bar he had wanted to go to.

He had his head down while reading a text from Tommy when someone barreled into his chest. The scent of Felicity’s familiar shampoo, citrus and coconuts, filled his noise. His hands came up to her elbows in order to steady her, and all he could see was her her wet hair piled into a bun on the top of her head, the soaked strands appeared a darker blonde than usual. When she wasn’t in danger of falling anymore, he released her elbows and took half a step back.

“Oof. Sorry, Oliver. I was digging around in my purse and I wasn’t looking. I swear this thing is just like Hermione’s purse, it looks small but the inside is massive. I mean hers was magic of course, but this has to be something similar because I keep losing things in it...” Felicity rambled, raising a hand to push up her glasses causing her nose to scrunch up adorably while she did it. As she noticed his casual attire, she tilted her head. “Plans tonight?”

Oliver didn’t really understand the reference in the first part of her sentence, but he was never one for pop culture.

“I’m going to get drinks with Tommy and catch up,” He explained, giving her outfit a quick glance. She wore leggings, a MIT sweatshirt, those same panda flats and the red bracelet tied around her wrist. Upon a closer inspection, he realized her face was bare of makeup, but she didn’t look all that different without it. She certainly looked younger, and he noticed shadows under her eyes he hadn’t seen before. It was the most casual he’d seen her since the night in her apartment. “What’re you still doing here? Did you shower in the locker room?”

She let out a frustrated huff.

“My stupid shower broke, and my landlord says that no one can come out to fix it until Tuesday. Usually I’d just shower at Sara’s since she’s right next door, but Nyssa lives with her and their anniversary is tomorrow so I’m sure they’re doing some pre-celebrations tonight and I don’t want to interrupt or be a bother. Plus, I really don’t wanna see anything I shouldn’t. It’s bad enough I can hear them through the walls. I already have a pair of ear plugs at the ready.” Felicity let out a small shudder. “I love them both to death but there are some things I do not need to know or hear. Point is, all of that means I have to shower here.”

Oliver let out a laugh, an amused smirk drawing up his lips.

Her cheeks turned pink, and he reveled in the sight. “That was probably way more information than you asked for.”

“No, its fine. I like to know more about your life.” Then he added, “Besides, I’ve seen more parts of Tommy than I ever wanted too in our younger days, so I can relate.”

Felicity giggled, and it made him feel like he was on top of the world for being the reason behind it.

“I could only imagine. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to picture you as the ‘Ollie’ Queen and notorious playboy who got into shenanigans with Tommy Merlyn and I would love to hear some stories.” She grinned playfully at him.

He typically hated people bringing up his past, but he didn’t mind when she did it. There was no judgement or malice in her words, just curiosity and teasing friendship.

“Yeah, and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you don’t find out any. I wasn’t exactly the best guy back then.” Oliver admitted.

Felicity just smiled wider, her eyes glinting with mischief and a single dimple showing. “I’ll just have to ask Dig when he gets back. I’m sure he knows some good ones.”

Oliver groaned good naturedly.

“If I fix your shower, will you promise not to go snooping for stories?” He bargained, lifting an eyebrow.

“Wait, really? You can do that?” Her jaw dropped a bit, and she stared up at him doubtfully.

“Yeah. Don’t be so surprised, I worked as a handy man when I first came back. I can fix almost anything, a shower should be no problem.” He shrugged in a nonchalant way. 

“Oh no, I mean thank you but I couldn’t ask you do that.” She refused politely.

“You’re not asking, I’m offering.” Oliver said, his voice firm. Felicity started to say something, but he interrupted before she could, “We’re friends, Felicity. It’s no big deal. Stop being stubborn and say yes.” He made sure to smile teasingly as he spoke the last part in order to soften his words.

After a moment of hesitation, she agreed. “Fine. But only in exchange for me not bugging Dig about the sexcapades in your youth.”

“Deal. How about I come over tomorrow, around ten in the morning? That way you can sleep in a little bit.” Oliver suggested, the dark circles under her eyes no longer covered by makeup fresh in his mind.

“Sure,” She said easily, “Seriously, you’re amazing. With the _kabbalah_ ,” Her pronunciation was much better than his, “Roy, and now this? You’re basically my own personal hero today.”

He felt the back of his neck warm up, but he blamed it on the jacket he wore since he was inside.

Oliver waved his hand in a dismissive gesture at her words. “I’ll text you in the morning, okay?”

She gave him a thumbs up, “You got it, dude.”

That reference he actually understood.

“Goodnight Felicity,” He chuckled, turning to the side so she could move past him.

“Night, Oliver. Have fun with Tommy.” Felicity smirked at him, walking past. She had almost made it to the doors that led back into the main floor when called over her shoulder, “Don’t forget, if its on the internet, I can find it. I don’t need necessarily need Dig.”

Oliver laughed, feeling lighter than he had in a while, and also a little worried at what she may find if she chose to look.

 

 

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Handy man fixes tiny blondes pipes. 
> 
> Ahem, I mean, Oliver comes over to fix Felicity's shower. This isn't smutty, or the title of a porno. Sorry yall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so yet again I'm apologizing for a late update because I'm the worst. I literally dont even know what schedule as n day this is meant to be updating on, it's mostly relying on when i have the most time. Fall semester just started, works been crazy and my workload is insane right now. So i'm trying my best with this without getting burnt out or writers block, so please bare (bear?) with me (: (i should probably know the difference between those). and I may have to go to every two weeks for posting a new chapter instead of every week, but I one hundred thousand percent plan on getting this finished. So dont worry!! I also know I'm late on replying to yalls wonderful and kind comments and I'm gonna try and answer today, but just know i really do appreciate every single one <33 
> 
> Also his chapter is almost 10K words and i was going to split it and decided not to, so sorry not sorry for the long chapter (;
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy and as always kudos and comments are always appreciated, never expected, and I love every single one of you who chooses to read this and stick with me so thank you!! <3

 

 

Oliver was sitting at the bar, beer in his hand, waiting on Tommy to arrive. Tommy had texted him earlier and said he was running a little late, but it had been thirty minutes and Oliver was considering leaving.

“Hey, man,” Tommy greeted, his voice rushed, “Sorry I’m late. Laurel called and we started arguing and now I really need a drink.”

“It’s fine. Everything okay?”

Tommy sighed, “I don’t even know. Laurel’s been in a weird head space the past few days and then after everything at Iron Heights, she’s been even more… I don’t know how to explain it, but I’m worried about her.”

Oliver resisted the urge to cringe. He might have asked if Tommy was okay, but he had no real desire to discuss Laurel Lance. Not after what he heard her say about him.

“I’m sure it’s just stress from the riot. People react to traumatic events differently.” Oliver explained, taking a swig of his beer.

Tommy observed him carefully, “Speaking of, how are you after the riot? Laurel told me what happened.” He dropped his eyes to Oliver’s battered knuckles.

Oliver clenched his hand tightly around his bottle.

“I’m fine.” He said shortly.

Tommy didn’t seem to get the hint Oliver didn’t want to talk, or he was just ignoring it. With Tommy, both were possibilities.

“You sure? Those knuckles and the guy you used them on say differently.” Tommy answered, keeping his tone light but Oliver could hear judgement underneath.

“Don’t,” Oliver said stiffly, “That son of a bitch had a knife to Laurels throat, and I know all the details of the case that got him put in prison in the first place. He deserves worse than what I gave him.”

Tommy raised his hands defensively. “Hey man, she’s my girlfriend, of course I’m glad he has a few bruises. But I just want to make sure you’re okay. Laurel said it got pretty brutal and that it seemed personal. What’s the story there?”

There was absolutely no way Oliver was going to mention anything about Felicity or her past to Tommy, it wasn’t his place and it wouldn’t be fair to her.

“There isn’t one. He’s a bad person who hurt innocent people and I stopped him. End of story.” His tone made it clear that it was the end of the discussion as well.

Tommy took the hint this time, ordering a beer from the bartender instead of continuing his questioning. Things were tense between them until Tommy spoke up again after getting his own beer.

“So, my dad wants me to go work for him.”

Oliver looked at him in surprise, Tommy and his father didn’t have a good relationship and Tommy hated the family business.

“And are you?” Oliver asked.

Tommy let out a sigh, taking a long pull from his beer. “I don’t know, man. I never wanted to work at Merlyn Global, but I’m not a kid anymore. I need to get serious about something. I mean, look at you, you never expected to be a cop but here I am sitting in a cop bar with my Detective best friend.”

Oliver’s mouth lifted up at the corner into a half smile. “Point taken.”

“What do you think I should do?”

“Well,” Oliver said, pausing to take a sip of his drink, “I had a friend tell me that it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you feel fulfilled and you’re doing good in the world. You could do a lot of good with charities at Merlyn Global, maybe even reopen your moms old clinic in the Glades.” He suggested.

Tommy stared at him for a moment. “That’s a pretty smart friend.”

Oliver smiled, a full one this time. “Genius, really.”

“I, uh, actually thought about that before.” Tommy admitted, “I was thinking about what I could do, and my first thought was opening a night club because partying is my only skill, but then I realized I wanted to do more. My mom loved helping others and I want to continue that.”

“You’d be a great club owner,” Oliver teased, “But I think if helping other people is what you want to do, Merlyn Global has the resources to do it.”

Oliver had even considered working at his own family company in order to utilize its resources.  

Tommy grinned. “Plus, it’s the best of both worlds. My dads company gets good PR and I get to spend his money.”

Oliver laughed. “Then it’s a win-win.”

“You know, I could even incorporate my party planning skills in that.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow in a ‘go-on’ gesture.

“Every good charity event needs a big gala. And the drunker rich people get, the more they spend their money.” Tommy’s smile was reminiscent of a Cheshire cat.   

Oliver clinked his bottle against Tommy’s, “I’ll drink to that.”

 

**

 

Felicity was sitting on her couch in her pajamas with a spoon in one hand and pint of mint chip in the other, catching up on the shows she had missed during the week and she was having a blast. It was the perfect Friday night. Nice and relaxing, so much so that she was considering breaking out her good wine and enjoying a glass.

So, of course, she should’ve known her peaceful evening wouldn’t last.

She was in the middle of fast forwarding through the commercials on one of her recorded shows when her doorbell rang. She threw her head backwards, knocking it against the hard edge of the back of couch and let out a groan. Not because of the dull throb that was starting in her head now, but because she just knew that whoever was at the door wasn’t going to be welcome.

Roy wasn’t totally off base when she said she didn’t have a lot of friends. Sara and Nyssa were out for pre-celebrations for their anniversary, Roy wouldn’t show up without calling first neither would Quentin, Dig was at home recovering from a gunshot wound and Oliver was out drinking, so it couldn’t be anyone she knew.

She stood up, her fuzzy socks sliding against the hard wood floors momentarily before she caught her balance, almost throwing her ice cream pint and spoon across the room in the process. She set both down safely on her coffee table.

“I swear, if this is a Jehovah’s witness, I’ll use every single mean word I know in Yiddish.” Felicity mumbled under breath, then she felt bad. “Okay, so maybe I won’t do that but I’ll give them a mean look and ask them to go away.”

Not for first time, Felicity realized how crazy it made her seem when she talked to herself.

She covered the distance to her door without causing herself bodily harm and peeked through the peep hole on the door. She pulled back, startled.

Laurel Lance was the last person she expected to see at her door on a Friday night.

She’d take a bible salesman over this any day.

Felicity thought about pretending she wasn’t home, but all her lights were on and her TV was loud enough to hear from where she was standing so Laurel could probably hear it too.

Resigned to her fate, she opened the door slowly.

“Uhm, hi Laurel. Sara lives next door,” Felicity said, pointing awkwardly at Sara’s door and hoping that Laurel just got turned around, “But she’s not home Maybe try again later?”

She started to closer the door, but Laurel threw her hand up and stopped it from closing.

“I know where Sara lives Felicity, I was coming to talk to you.” Her words sounded slightly slurred, causing Felicity to take a closer look at her.

She was dressed in a dark colored business suit, and professional heels. Her hair was slightly disheveled, yet the brunette locks were still slightly curled, and her mascara and eyeliner were smudged around her eyes but instead of looking racoon-esque it looked like an intentional sexy smoky eye. So even obviously tipsy and after work (Felicity assumed) Laurel still managed to look gorgeous.

Felicity self-consciously tugged on the sleeves of the MIT sweatshirt she wore, wiggling her toes in her fuzzy socks that had cat faces on them.

“Oh.” She blinked. “Uhm.. I guess, you could, uh, come in then?” It was phrased more of a question than a statement.

Laurel didn’t need to be told twice. She moved forward with a purpose, causing Felicity to step back and out of the way so they didn’t run into each other.

“Cute apartment.” Laurel commented, observing Felicity’s apartment which was full of bright colors from the furniture, to the walls, to the decorations and big bookshelves filled with books and other eclectic knick-knacks.

“Thanks.” Felicity answered, sounding unsure. She shut and locked the door. “What do you need to talk about? Is it a CNRI case? I can’t promise results, but I can try to help.”

Laurel snorted, and it sounded bitter to Felicity’s ears. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Okay, just email me the details of the case and the information you need found and-,“ Felicity started, before Laurel cut her off.

“No! I don’t need you to work on a case, I need you to stop being so damn helpful all the time.” Laurel replied, anger and insecurity flashing across her face.

“What are you talking about?” Felicity said, absolutely dumbfounded.

“You know what I’m talking about! You’re everywhere. With my Dad, with my sister, with my Oli-,” She slammed her lips together abruptly, but Felicity knew what name she was going to say. “I got a call from my Dad earlier going on and on about how much of a sweetheart you are for bringing him breakfast and how great Sara is and how thoughtful you both are. But he didn’t say a word about me or ask if I was okay after what happened at the prison! I was nearly killed!” Her voice was near a yell at the end, high pitched and shrill.

Felicity flinched, not from the meaning of her words but from the sheer volume of it.

“Listen Laurel, I don’t think right now it the best time for this conversation. Clearly, you’re not sober, and you went through something traumatic. I’ll call you a cab and you can go home, sleep it off, and we’ll talk another time.” She tried to reason.

Laurel was having none of it.

“No. I’m tired, so tired, of holding it all inside and pretending to be okay. I want to know why you felt the need to insert yourself into my family and take them away from me. You took everyone.” Laurel said petulantly. “No one cares about me.” A tear slid down her face that she angrily wiped away.

Felicity sighed, suddenly exhausted. She was not in the mood to deal with any of this, but Laurel needed someone to give her a serious check about her life and her decisions.

“None of that is true and you know it, Laurel. You’re the one who barely speaks to your dad, unless its to argue or ignore what he says. And you are the one who pushed Sara away after stupid childish mistakes in the past. You never let it go, so of course Sara isn’t going to want to be around someone who constantly rubs her mistakes in her face.” Felicity said, trying to keep herself calm. “I didn’t take your family from you. You’re the one whose pushing them all away.”

Laurel let out a sob, running frantic hands through her hair finally mussing up the perfect waves into something more messy than stylish. It was the least put together Felicity had ever seen her.  

“She slept with my boyfriend!” Laurel said desperately, like it was excuse she was clinging too.

“Ex-boyfriend.” Felicity corrected, “And you’re with Tommy now, it shouldn’t matter anymore.”

Laurel teary eyes met Felicity’s own, and despite not wanting too, she pitied Laurel for what she saw there. They were full of insecurity, anger, confusion, and the kind of thing Felicity could only describe as broken.

“Yeah? Well instead of being with me after I nearly died, guess where he is?” Laurel spat, “Drinking with Oliver like the good ol’ days. Probably going to be cheated on again.” She laughed but there was no humor in it.

“Nothing like that is going to happen. Oliver’s not the same guy anymore, he’d never stand by and watch Tommy do that. And Tommy loves you.” Felicity said, attempting to placate her.

“Trust me, I know Oliver’s not the same man. I watched him almost kill someone yesterday.” Laurel retorted, voice full of disgust and something nearing contempt, and it was the first thing she had said that actually pissed Felicity off.

“He saved your life, Laurel. You do not get to judge him on how he did it.” Felicity reprimanded her, unable to hide her own anger. She crossed her arms, gripping her sweatshirt tightly in her hands.

“You weren’t there! When Samuels…,” Laurel touched her throat as if she was remembering the knife pressed against her skin, “When he had the knife, then sure, violence was necessary. But Ollie knocked it away so Samuels was unarmed and he still kept hitting him.. Over and over. He wouldn’t stop. The look on his face…” Laurel shuddered. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Are you kidding me right now?” Felicity exploded, nearing Loud Voice territory. “You said it yourself, you nearly died! What did you think Samuels was going to do if Oliver didn’t stop him? Did you think that he was going to let you go as soon as he escaped? Tell me, Laurel. I want an answer.” She demanded, stepping closer.

Was Laurel so narcissistic and so blinded by her own self-righteousness she couldn’t see the truth? Felicity knew exactly what Samuels would have done, and she didn’t, not for a second, blame Oliver for his actions. She wasn’t the same woman who used to see things in black and white, right or wrong. Felicity understood there were shades of grey to everything and nothing was ever simple. Laurel was naïve to think so.

“Well, I, I don’t know!” She stuttered, seemingly shocked at Felicity’s response.

“I know, I know, exactly what he would have done. I still have a scar or two I can show you, if you don’t believe me. Then I can show you pictures of exactly what he would have done, if you need more convincing. And when he was done doing the things that made you wish you were dead, he’d cut your throat and laugh. Oliver was justified in whatever he had to do to stop him, he’s a good man and I won’t listen to you say otherwise.” Felicity was breathing heavily by the time she finished speaking, and her cheeks were pink with anger and frustration.

Laurel looked taken aback and slightly ashamed, Felicity’s harsh words seemed to have gotten through to her.

“I.. I’m sorry, Felicity. For everything I said to you at the station that day about Samuels, I shouldn’t of used that against you. I can only imagine what you went through and if I’m this fucked up after just the riot.. I don’t understand how you even function so well.” Laurel sounded guilty and genuinely contrite.

“No, you shouldn’t have. But what’s done is done, Laurel.” Felicity said, ignoring Laurels last sentence. She refused to give Samuels anymore sway over her or her emotions, or let Laurel know how messed up Felicity really was. Laurel had no right to know any of it.

“And I shouldn’t have come here either… I know it’s not your fault that everyone in my family hates to be around me. I hate me sometimes.” Laurel said the last part quietly as if Felicity wasn’t meant to hear.

Felicity wasn’t one to forgive and forget easily, usually it was one or the other and not both. But Laurel was being honest, even if it was aided by whatever she drank, and she was Quentin’s daughter and Sara’s sister and in some fucked up, twisted way, it made her important to Felicity too. Quentin and Sara were Felicity’s family and Laurel was theirs, so she was willing to give her a second chance to try and help her.

“I’m going to say something, and I don’t mean it in a mean way,” Felicity said hesitantly, “But maybe you should seek out professional help. I saw a therapist after, and it helped me. You went through a trauma too, and it’s obviously brought up a lot of repressed feelings.”

Laurel nodded, wiping her eyes. “I think.. I think maybe you’re right. When he had the knife to my throat, all I could think about was that I might die and how unhappy I was with the way my life was. Everyone seems to have moved on and grown and changed, my family, Ollie, everyone, and I’m.. and I’m just stuck. It’s like I’m looking at my life from new eyes.”

“Near death experiences tend to do that.” She was aiming for light when she said it.

Laurel snorted. “I guess they do. Again, I’m sorry I came here and yelled at you about all my issues.”

Felicity attempted a smile that she was sure looked more like a grimace, “I’m not going to say it’s okay, because it wasn’t, but I understand. You’re not in a good head space and you’ve been drinking. We all have our moments.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Laurel’s face at her partial acceptance of the apology, before it was replaced with determination.

“Felicity,” She said tentatively, “Can we just start over?”

Thinking of Sara and Quentin, Felicity nodded. “Sure. But only if you reach out to a professional and talk through some of these things, okay? I may have a comfy couch but it’s not the kind meant for therapy sessions.”

Laurel smiled weakly, making a noise of agreement.

 

**

 

The next morning, Felicity was obsessively cleaning her apartment. He’d told her ten in the morning so she could sleep in, however she’d been up since seven making sure everything was spotless. Oliver had been over before, but at that time she was more concerned about the life altering news she was sharing and less concerned about the bra on her bathroom floor. Now though, he’d be here in the day light and in the same bathroom where she was notorious for leaving bras and underwear.

Two things she absolutely did not want him to see.

Okay, well maybe she did, but not on the floor and on her instead.

She shook her head, she didn’t know where that thought came from and she was surprised at the truth it was rooted in. Felicity was attracted to Oliver, it was impossible not be since she was a straight woman and he was the most handsome man she’d ever met in her life, but she hadn’t really felt that kind of stirring attraction to someone in a very long time. It was as exciting as it was terrifying, because it was like a brand new experience to her after everything. Almost like she was starting over.

Felicity pushed those thoughts from her mind, choosing to focus on her cleaning instead of considering scenarios that would never happen. Just because she was attracted to him didn’t mean Oliver felt the same way. She was pretty positive he didn’t, she’d seen the type of girls he’d dated in the past on the cover of tabloids and while he may be a very different man in the best way possible, she doubted the type of woman he was attracted to changed as well. She wasn’t tall, slender and brunette while looking like a supermodel.

No, she was short, a bit too curvy from eating way too much ice cream and had dyed blonde hair.

She let out a sigh and grabbed her broom to finish her final task of sweeping up her hardwood floors. On top of cleaning her bathroom so thoroughly she’d even taken an old toothbrush to the grout in the shower, she’d cleaned her kitchen, living room, and her bedroom. Not that he’d even go in her bedroom, because why would he? But she decided she couldn’t be too careful.

Felicity put the broom away and repulled her hair up into a messy bun on the top of head since it was starting to fall out in pieces. Last night, Felicity had forgotten to take it down and out of the bun before it dried and now her blonde hair was a mess of curls that screamed ‘crazy witch that lived in the woods’ and not cute, beachy waves or even ringlets.

So, she was stuck with the bun knowing that a pony tail would just be a frizzy, curly poof at the back of her head.

Felicity glanced down at her outfit, she had decided to change out of her pajamas and into an old pair of ripped jeans and white t-shirt that had a print of a smiling watermelon over her left chest. She still wore the same fuzzy socks from last night because her feet were notoriously cold.

It was cute and casual enough to lounge around in and not seem like she was getting dressed up. Because she wasn’t. It wasn’t a date, he was just coming over to fix her pipes.

Oh god. Even her thoughts weren’t safe from accidental sexual innuendos.

She meant it platonically. It was platonic pipe fixing.

Her phone dinged, and she lifted it up to read. Oliver was on his way.

Felicity rubbed her palms nervously against her pants. She needed to relax and stop making this weird. He was just a friend, coming over to do a favor. It wasn’t a big deal. She took a deep breath, ignoring the stupid butterflies in her stomach, and sat on her couch. She flipped on the TV and clicked on one of her comfort shows. Felicity was only half paying attention to it, split between the screen of the TV and her phone. The loud roar of a motorcycle filtered through her walls and she knew Oliver was here, even before he sent the text to confirm it.

He had told her drove a motorcycle the other day, and despite her dislike of the risk it created, she really wanted to see him riding it. Because Oliver Queen on motorcycle?

Whew.

A knock sounded on her door, and at least this time it was an invited, and welcome, guest.

“Coming,” Felicity called out, keeping her pace normal to stop herself from being too over eager. She unlocked the door and swung it open, “Hi, Oliver.”

“Hey, Felicity.” Oliver greeted back, the corners of his mouth turning up.

“You look very handyman chic today.” She observed.

And he did. Oliver was wearing jeans that had paint splatters on them with a rip in the knee and a grey cotton t-shirt that fit snugly across his chest and biceps, along with heavy work boots. He also held a tool kit in one hand.

“Well, I wasn’t kidding when I told you I used to do that for work. I even wore my good work pants today.” Oliver said seriously, but his eyes were alight with humor.

Felicity laughed.

“Ah I see, so paint stains instead of…” She trailed off, leaving it open for him to finish.

“Grease stains.”

“Well, I must be pretty special then.” Felicity teased.

He was a silent for a moment and then, “Yeah, you are.” All trace of joking gone, there was nothing but honesty in his tone.

Felicity felt her face turn as red as the watermelon on her shirt as her heart jumped in her chest. He had to stop saying things like that to her. She didn’t know why he was doing it, if it was serious in a flirting way, or if he was just being nice and complimenting her in a platonic way. They built their friendship on deep talks and intimate conversations about the kind of people they were and how they saw one another, so it was hard to discern between the two extremes of romance or just friendship.

“Oh, uhm, come on in then so you can fix my pipes.” Felicity blurted, then slapped her hand to cover her mouth so quickly her lips stung. She dropped her hand. “I mean, please come in so you can fix my shower, not my pipes, well maybe my pipes, I don’t know what’s wrong with it. But I didn’t mean my pipes, _pipes,_ and that’s the same word but they mean different things in my head. Like one is kind of porny and the other is the platonic kind. Because this isn’t the beginning of a bad porno, which you obviously know and I’m going to stop talking now.”

Felicity closed her eyes because maybe if she couldn’t see him then she didn’t have to acknowledge the massive word vomit that came out, and then shut her mouth before she could go on a rant about pornstars and Oliver looking like one. She wished a hole would suddenly open up in the ground and swallow her. Or maybe if that didn’t happen, she could just delete her entire electronic life, forge new documents, and move to a new country.

Yeah, she was going to do that instead. It was a good plan and she had the capabilities to do it.

“Felicity,” He said, and she heard the laughter in his voice but he was kind enough not to laugh at her, “Why don’t you show me to your bathroom?”

She opened her eyes, relieved he was moving past her ramble without a comment.

“I can do that.” She squeaked, then cleared her throat.

Felicity gestured for him to follow her and led him to the bathroom, the door was open but she didn’t step inside. It wasn’t a very big bathroom and she didn’t want to crowd him. He walked in and set his toolbox on the counter. Oliver pulled back her shower curtain, studying the shower head and handle.

“So, what happened when you tried to turn it on?” He asked, his voice was professional and reminded her of the serious way he questioned a witness even though this was about a shower.

She smiled a little. “Nothing at all. _Bubkes_.”

“No crazy noises or discolored water?”

“Nope, and ew, no.”

Oliver nodded. “Good. That means it’s not the pipes and it probably a cosmetic fix.”

She fought back a cringe at the word ‘pipes,’ if she never heard that word again, it’d still be too soon.

“Oh, well yay?” Felicity said, but it came out more like a question than a statement.

He chuckled. “Yes, ‘yay.’ Means it’ll most likely be easy to repair.”

She brightened at that. Oliver turned his attention back to the shower and grasped handle trying to turn it on, and yet again nothing happened. She watched as he nodded to himself, like he expected it and switched it back to off, then reached up and unscrewed the shower head from the base. He looked inside, his eyes curious and analytical.

She wasn’t sure why, but it was strangely attractive watching him work. Maybe it was the cave woman deep, deep, deep down in her that thought watching him do typical and traditionally ‘manly’ tasks was hot. Felicity shook her head, amused and slightly annoyed (she was a 21st century woman and feminist after all) at herself for the thought.

“It looks like the washer and rubber ring in here are both old and thin, it’s not the main issue but if I replace it now it’ll save you some hassle in the future.” Oliver explained, showing her what he was talking about.

She eyed it speculatively then shrugged, “Do whatever you think is best.”

 “Okay,” Oliver agreed easily, “I brought some extras just in case.”

He opened his tool box and dug through it before pulling out the necessary items. He set about his task with a smooth confidence and sure hands. They were both quiet while he worked. Finally, as he was twisting the shower head back into place, he called over his shoulder to her.

“Do you mind grabbing a Philips head screwdriver out of my tool box? I’m gonna take off the handle next.”

“Sure.” She found the requested screwdriver, holding out to him.

He turned around and took it from her with a thanks. Then he sat on the edge of her tub, swinging both legs inside as he leaned forward to unscrew the knob.

“So, how’d you learn to do all of this?” Felicity couldn’t help but ask.

He didn’t seem to mind her question, answering without any hesitation, “When I was in the Army, stuff on base would break all the time, overseas and stateside, and putting in a maintenance request was basically a waste of paper so I would fix it myself. It was just easier, more efficient.”

“Makes sense. Bureaucracy sucks.”

Oliver made a noise of agreement, still focused on his task. “Then I got back, and I didn’t want to come back to Starling yet, so I moved around a lot and just did odd jobs to make money. I liked doing it, fixing things. It helps to clear my head.”

“I get it. When I code or work on tech everything else just goes away and… and it’s simple. Calming, even.” Felicity said, thoughtfully.

“Exactly. I like being a cop and helping people, but I enjoy working on things too, putting them together. I built my motorcycle pretty much from spare parts.”

Felicity grinned at the pride and passion she heard in his voice. It made her happy that he was confiding in her about his hobbies. It solidified the friendship she believed they shared.

“That’s awesome.” And couldn’t help but add, “Even if motorcycles are death traps. The statistics on serious injury being caused by them are crazy high.”

Oliver turned around at that, pointing the screwdriver at her, “Keep talking bad about bikes and I won’t fix your shower.” He was teasing her and they both knew he was still going to fix it even if she kept on, but she played along anyways.

Felicity held up her hands in surrender, “Okay, sorry.” Then coughed something that sounded like ‘still a deathtrap.’

“Sorry what was that?” He asked, setting down the screwdriver.

“Nothing.” She answered quickly.

Oliver gave her a pointed look, but there was a playful smirk on his face. “That’s what I thought.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Watch it, mister.”

He laughed and went back to her shower, pulling off the knob. She wanted to smack herself for making that sound dirty in her head.

“Just what I thought. Your handle is stripped, where it’s meant to catch and turn on the water is completely smooth. You’ll need a new one, but it’s a cheap and easy fix.” He explained, pointing at the inside of the plastic knob.

“Did you happen to bring an extra of those too?” Felicity asked hopefully. She really wanted it fixed today.

Oliver shook his head. “No. But there’s a hardware store right down the road, I’ll go pick one up and head back.”

“Oh no,” Felicity protested, “I can do it. I’ll get one later and replace it myself, I already watched you take it off so it’ll be no problem to put back on. You’ve already helped so much.”

She felt bad he was here on a Saturday when he probably had other plans, the least she could do would go to the store and get it herself. He’d already figured out what was wrong.

He let out a sigh like she was being unreasonable and stubborn. “It’s fine, Felicity. Really, it’ll take thirty minutes. I told you I was going to fix it, and I will. I don’t mind.”

She paused uncertainly, “Are you sure? I really can finish myself.” Not even hearing the innuendo in her words.

“I’m sure.” He said kindly, then a sly smirk came across his face and he shot her a wink, “I can’t leave without finishing, and I want to be sure my clients satisfied after completion.”

Her cheeks heated at the suggestion of his words. Usually, she was the one who accidently made dirty jokes, so it was a crazy turn of events to have Oliver making one intentionally. Because there was absolutely no mistaking that he was making one, and she’d even go as far to say he was flirting with her. And Felicity wasn’t sure if it was just harmless flirting or if he really meant it.

“I’m pretty sure no one has complaints when you’re done, or at least I wouldn’t.” Felicity said before she could stop herself.

 His blue eyes darkened, and she felt the intensity of his gaze. When he looked at her like that, she felt like she was the only woman he’d ever seen, Felicity didn’t know if he even was aware he was doing it, but it filled her veins with something that made her feel powerful. It was hard not to when a man like Oliver Queen stared at her like he was, his pupils wide and his eyes the color of ocean during a storm. Felicity didn’t feel uncomfortable or objectified by any means, only confidant and beautiful. It was a feeling she could easily see herself getting addicted too.

He stood from his seated position, not breaking eye contact, and even though she still hovered in the doorway she felt his presence all the way from where he stood, it was like they were both magnets, inevitably drawn together. Nothing would be able to stop it, not unless acted on by an outside force or if they were too similar. Which they weren’t. They were polar opposites therefore they would always be pulled to one another. It was just science and Felicity was a scientist. She understood magnetic fields, and this certainly felt like one.

She took a step forward, transfixed, and he watched her in anticipation but didn’t move an inch. Felicity didn’t know what she was going to do when she reached him, but she was eager to find out. She could see the tightly coiled muscles underneath his thin t-shirt, like he was forcing himself to remain still.

Felicity realized he was letting her come to him, giving her all the control. Her heart swelled and went to take another step to close the space between them, only for her sock clad feet to slip on the bathroom tile causing them to slide out from under her, and she would of face planted if not for his lightening face reflexes. His hands closed over waist to steady her, stopping her from falling.

She couldn’t stop the groan that escaped for her lips. Of course, she had to ruin whatever the moment between them was by being an absolute klutz.

“You okay? I didn’t grab you too hard, did I?” He sounded worried he had had hurt her from his tight grip, and immediately dropped his hands from her waist as soon as she was steady enough.

“No, no, I’m fine.” Felicity said, unable to meet his eyes and staring the cat faces on her socks hatefully, “Just astounded at my ability to embarrass myself all the time by being an klutz. This is the second time in barely 24 hours that you’ve had to catch me from falling on my ass.”

Oliver gently lifted her chin with his warm, calloused fingers, bringing her head up to meet his eyes.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll always catch you.” His voice was soft and sweet, and what he said was totally cheesy, but it still sent tingles down to her toes because she’d never heard him to talk to anyone else with that tone, it seemed to only be reserved for her.

Yet again, he confused her emotionally. Logically, that sounded like flirting and something straight out of a romance novel, but she couldn’t understand how a man like him could care about her in a romantic way. Things like that didn’t happen in real life, or at least not her in her life. Not too her.

Felicity looked up at him, still unable to stop the smile from spreading across her face. A matching one crossed his face. The moment from before may have been ruined, but this was nice too. Felicity stared up at him like a grinning idiot for a few more seconds, before clearing her throat.

“So, hardware store?” She asked.

Oliver released her chin and picked up the knob he must’ve dropped to catch her.

“Hardware store.” He repeated. “We can take my bike.”

Oliver smirked as he said it and Felicity glared at him. “Absolutely not. We’re taking my Mini.”

“C’mon, Felicity,” The way he said her name so pleadingly almost had her agreeing, “I’m a safe driver, promise.”

She somehow found the strength to deny him. “Nope. My Mini or we take separate vehicles. And that’s bad for the environment, Oliver. Do you really wanna help speed up climate change?”

He chuckled but looked disappointed at her rejection. “No, I don’t. Way to make me feel bad. Fine, guess I’ll just have to break my legs in order to fit in your tiny clown car.”

“I thought I told you not to call it that!” Felicity whined, getting a flash of the clown from ‘It’ in her mind.

“Oh, so that’s what more important to you? Not that I’ll have to break my legs?” Oliver asked, in mock hurt.

She rolled her eyes. “Now you’re just being a big, giant baby. You’ll be fine.”

 

**

 

The trip to the hardware store had gone smoothly, an overly friendly older man who closely resembled Santa Claus helped them find the new shower handle while also commenting about how they were such a nice, young couple and it was a wonderful thing to see nowadays, and he could tell how they were in the kind of love that lasts which caused Felicity to turn red.

Oliver hadn’t corrected the man, but she had, vehemently, and it sent her into a ramble about being friends who did friendly favors for one another that had her contemplating grabbing some duct tape off the shelf to tape her mouth shut while the Santa Claus look-alike stared at her in confusion and amusement but apologized for mistaking them as a couple.

Oliver paid for the part, much to her protests, and then they were on their back to her apartment with Felicity’s mood and emotions spiraling as she drove. They were both quiet the whole time, but it wasn’t the comfortable kind they usually settled into, this silence was almost tense, and a little awkward. Felicity knew it was mostly her fault because her mood had taken a serious plummet since they were mistaken for a being together. But Oliver hadn’t said anything either neither confirming nor denying what she said after her babble about being friends, just friends.

She didn’t know why she had made it so clear to the worker that they weren’t together, especially after their heated moment the other night, and not long ago in her apartment, but she had.

Maybe it was because the thought of Oliver actually wanting to be with her was…unthinkable.

They were unthinkable.

When Oliver hadn’t said anything to the old man, she had assumed he didn’t want to hurt her feelings or make it awkward with his own denial, so she was the one to shoot it down. Felicity wished he would have said something because at least then she would have known where they stood. She wouldn’t lie and say that she wasn’t disappointed, because Oliver Queen was a good man and she’d be lucky to have him in her life like that, but she understood why he wouldn’t want to be with her.

Felicity was damaged goods, and if that wasn’t enough, she couldn’t even speak without it becoming a jumbled mess. 

Right now, she felt foolish for whatever moment had passed between them back in her apartment. Obviously, she had read it all wrong and he was just teasingly flirting with her. It wasn’t serious and he didn’t mean it. That’s why he didn’t move towards her, she realized, it wasn’t because of any deeper reason, like in the romance books she sometimes read as a guilty pleasure. Felicity’s cheeks heated up. She had read into something that wasn’t there. She was almost grateful for nearly falling on her face before she could do something stupid, like try and kiss him.

She was just Felicity Smoak, computer nerd with lots of baggage and he was Oliver Queen, badass cop, actual billionaire and Greek god look alike.

It was an oversimplification of who he truly was, though.

He was a man who bought her a thoughtful gift that held religious significance to her after she mentioned the meaning behind it once, a man who protected her from another who meant her nothing but harm, and a man who had her back and believed in her even when it destroyed his relationship with his own parent.

Oliver was too important to her, to her life, for her to try to be anything more than were now. She’d end up ruining it somehow.

It happened in every relationship in the past. Everyone always seemed to leave her, she learned to live with it but that didn’t mean it didn’t still hurt from time to time.

Felicity had never even had a healthy long-term relationship with a man. Her father left when she was a just little girl which tore a hole in heart that seemed to only grow bigger as she did. She used to think she was broken, that something was wrong with her and that’s why he left, and that she was the reason everyone else seemed too. While that thought had gotten better and healed some over time, it seemed like every now then someone would come along and rip the scab right off with no warning.

Especially after Cooper, he was the longest she’d ever been with someone she loved, and he ended up killing himself in a jail cell over a crime that was mostly her fault. Felicity had never quite got over that feeling of brokenness after that, and then Samuels happened, and he just made everything worse, shattering whatever sense of wholeness she had fought for. It made her angry and disappointed in herself because she was letting a man control her feelings and emotions but at the same time, she couldn’t stop herself.

Felicity was nothing if not logical and could recognize a pattern when she saw it. Men always left her, or hurt her, and she wouldn’t, couldn’t, risk that with Oliver.

He was too important to her, and to her life.

 

**

 

When they got back to her apartment, he went straight to her bathroom to finish fixing the shower and she stayed in the living room, eager to get away from the strange mood between them even if it was mostly her doing. But he had yet to bring any of it up and she wasn’t eager to do so either.

Felicity pulled out her tablet, looking through the results one of her searches turned up from the names on the List. It was a search she ran on the names she identified as high-profile business men. Most of the connections it found were actual legitimate business dealings, but she did find one shell company, Sagittarius, that nearly every single person on the List who owned their own company had routed money to at some point or another.

Sagittarius was beyond encrypted and well protected, so she knew she’d have to take more time to break it and see what else they were getting up too. She decided that would be her next course of action.

Felicity squinted at her tablet, rereading the names on the List.

“Huh, that’s odd.” She muttered under her breath and glanced towards the bathroom. Making her decision, she stood up with her tablet in hand and meandered her way to Oliver. “Hey, I was looking through my searches on the names in the book and I found something weird.”

Oliver sat on the edge of the bathtub, both his feet inside the tub as he leaned over his task. Instead of facing her, Oliver kept his attention on screwing in the new handle.

“Define weird.”

“Well, one shell company called Sagittarius, was used by nearly all of the high-profile names who have legitimate businesses to push money through, and I’m looking into that. It’ll take some time. But it’s what I didn’t find that’s really weird.”

Oliver finally looked at her, giving her an impatient look that she took to mean ‘hurry up.’ She huffed at his attitude but chose to ignore it.

“I didn’t find Malcolm Merlyn anywhere on the List when it’s full of other one percenters. That’s got to mean something. I mean, we know that your dad probably wrote it since it was on the Gambit with him, and your mom obviously knew, so that explains why they’re not on it. But why isn’t Merlyn? Merlyn Global is a huge corporation, and I seriously doubt his company is a law-abiding only business, I mean we do live in Starling. It’d fit in perfectly with the other names, like Jason Brodeur. Even he made the List.”

Oliver furrowed his eyebrows, frowning. “Okay, you’re right. That is weird.”

“Yeah, I mean I don’t need a paw print and a thinking chair to put together clues when I see them.” At his confused expression, she elaborated a bit sheepishly, “Sorry, _Blues Clues_ reference. It was on this morning.”

Oliver seemed amused. “You watch little kid cartoon shows?”

“Cartoons are for all ages.” Felicity defended, “Look at _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ , that’s technically a kid’s show but it’s also one the greatest shows of all time.”

Oliver looked at her in pure amusement and a fondness that made her not even care that she was making herself out to be a huge geek as long as he smiled like that. At least, they had gotten over the funk they were in after leaving the store even if it was based on denial that it’d even happened. She was just fine forgetting all about.

Denial wasn’t just a river in Egypt.

“I don’t know what that is, but I’ll take your word for it.” Oliver turned serious, “But Malcolm Merlyn isn’t a good man, I grew up around him. He was terrible father to Tommy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d be involved in whatever the others on that List are. You said they’re funneling money through a shell company?”

“Yeah, it had good cyber security though. It’ll take more than my tablet to hack in and see more than the wire transfer itself.”

“You work on that, and I guess I’ll finally look around my dad’s old study.” He sounded like that was the last thing he wanted to do, and her heart went out to him.

It couldn’t be easy to snoop around his dead father’s possessions.

“I’m sure if I keep digging, I’ll find something usable. You could hold off on that for a little while.” She offered, attempting to give him an out.

He didn’t take it but sent her an appreciative smile. “No, I need to do it, and soon. Lists of names and lots of money leads me to believe somethings being planned. Something bad, if they were willing to kill and hurt others to protect it.”

“Yeah.” She agreed quietly.

Oliver took notice of her quiet tone and changed the subject, “On the bright side, your shower is officially fixed.”

A grin split her lips. “Really?”

He nodded and beckoned her closer. “Come here. You can do the honors. Turn it on.”

She set her tablet down on the bathroom counter and walked forwards, he slid down the edge of the tub so she could lean in and turn the knob. Felicity turned it confidently and heard the sound of the water rushing before it poured out of the faucet. She pulled up the metal pin on the spout that was meant to route the water up to the showerhead but nothing happened, the water still pouring out into the tub but not out of the showerhead itself.

“Uh, Oliver?” She still held the metal pin up.

Oliver frowned, making a shooing gesture with his hands and stood up inside the tub. He walked closer to the shower head, reaching up, he twisted the showerhead to tighten it and as soon as he turned it the water poured out, drenching him.

Felicity gasped and pushed the pin down. “Oliver, I’m so sorry! That was totally my fault.”

She felt bad while also trying not to laugh. He turned and gave her a look she guessed was meant to seem angry, but with his wet hair sticking to his forehead and his eyelashes holding droplets of water, he really looked like a drowned puppy. It was adorable. She dropped her gaze to his chest, the grey t-shirt glued to his skin from the water where it outlined his large, broad chest and every single muscle in his abs. The man had an eight pack.

That was less adorable and more, well, hot.

“Are you about to laugh at me?” Oliver demanded, sounding a bit petulant.

“No, of course not,” She answered, while letting out a giggle.

His eyes flashed with something dangerous but playful, and he smirked. Felicity took a step back, not liking the look on his face.

“Don’t you dare even think it, Oliver Queen.” Felicity warned, ready to flee.

“Think about what?” Oliver asked innocently, tilting his head and stepping out of the tub. He moved closer to her, water dripping down his body and onto the floor.

“Making me wet!” She blurted.

He arched an eyebrow at her word choice, eyes gleaming with wickedness but she refused to explain herself. He knew what she meant. Oliver took another step closer with the grace of a predator stalking its prey. Felicity read that as her cue to run. She turned on her heel and sprinted away, laughing the whole time. Oliver caught her easily, his long legs an advantage to her own very short ones. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist bringing her into his chest, her back against his front, trapping her there. Oliver held her there long enough for his wet shirt to soak through the back of hers, he chuckled as his did it and she let out half-hearted protests she didn’t really mean as she squirmed in his arms.

Felicity knew if she told him to let her go, he would. But she liked the feeling of being held in his arms, so she didn’t mind putting up with a cold and wet shirt for it.

Despite the cool water, he was warm and hard, his chest she meant, it was solid and muscular. Not like he was hard _hard._

Goodness, her mind was a dirty place today.

After he was satisfied with getting her wet, and apparently, she couldn’t stop with the innuendos, he released her. But before he did, Oliver leaned down and whispered in her ear, his breath warm and sending shivers down her spine. Strangely enough, she didn’t even flinch at the sound of breathing in her ear which was usually a trigger for her.

“Now, we’re even.” His voice was low, a rough quality to it that made her toes want to curl.

She whirled around, pouting. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“Never said I was nice.”  

Felicity snorted at that. “Please, we both know you’re a big softy.”

“I don’t suppose you have another shirt I could borrow?” He asked, ignoring her last statement.

“No, sorry,” She said, “I have an old SCPD shirt from Quentin but it’s in the wash, plus you probably would be weirded out wearing your Captains clothes. And you won’t fit in any of my other t-shirts. Your boobs are bigger than mine.” Felicity wasn’t even embarrassed at that comment because it was the truth, and if anything she was a little envious.

“They’re not _boobs_ ,” Oliver said it with distaste, sounding mildly offended, “They’re pecs.”

Felicity couldn’t help but laugh at how affronted he was.

“Okay fine, your big _pecs_ and very broad, very manly shoulders won’t fit in any of my tiny lady shirts.” She made sure to include as much sarcasm as she could, eager to not let him get a big head.

Oliver knew he was a very large, very muscular man, and she didn’t want to encourage his ego.

He rolled his eyes, then hesitation crossed his face. “Uh, are you okay if I take off my shirt and use your dryer then?”

“Oh,” She started, about to tell him yes, but he interrupted her.

“It’s just I still have to clean up all my tools and I don’t want to ride my bike with a wet shirt.” He cut in, explaining himself quickly, “But if your uncomfortable its not a big deal.”

Felicity couldn’t help but frown. This was exactly what she meant when she said she was damaged goods. He may not see her as a total victim, but if he hadn’t of known any details of what happened to her, she doubted he would be asking her permission. She knew it was coming from a good place, but it was still frustrating, she wouldn’t freak out or fall apart because she was alone in her apartment with a shirtless man. In fact, with him, it was the complete opposite. She let out a sigh.

“It’s fine, Oliver. I’ll go grab you a towel, the dryer is through there.” Felicity pointed to her little laundry closet, then left to go find him a towel.

She made a pit stop in her room, changing her own wet shirt into a dry one, then grabbed a clean towel out of her bathroom linen closet.

“Here’s your towel. Did you figure out the dryer okay? Sometimes you have to push the button really hard for it too start. And wow, I just realized my entire apartment is apparently falling apart. But then again…” She trailed off as she took in her first sight of shirtless Oliver.

It was everything and nothing she expected it to be. Her eyes roamed over his torso, all the muscles she’d pictured and had seen an outline of through his wet shirt were there, and just as attractive as she’d imaged, but there were also scars which raised his skin. Most didn’t look like they’d healed properly. They littered his chest, his stomach, his shoulders and even his arms. Her own scars didn’t compare to his.

Felicity wasn’t lying when she told Laurel she had scars she could show her, but Oliver’s far outnumbered her own. His looked like they came from a combination of weapons, guns, knives, and even what looked like burns. She saw a of the few scars on his side that seemed to wrap around to his back. There was more mottled flesh than there was smooth skin. But it didn’t bother her, she still saw him as beautiful.

Maybe even more attractive than before, as the proof of his strength and grit were on display. He was a survivor. Felicity didn’t pity him for what he went through, she knew he wouldn’t want it, but she was sad for him, understanding the pain he must have endured. He didn’t deserve it. She didn’t know anything about what he went experienced while serving and she would never ask him, but from the looks of his torso, it was nothing good. His scars were a physical manifestation of just how much he had changed from the boy he used to be, to the good man he was today.

Felicity finally looked up into his eyes, and she saw nervousness mixed with self-consciousness. She didn’t want to make him feel that way, she was in no way repulsed by his scars like he seemed to fear.

“Wow,” She said, and he flinched but Felicity wasn’t finished, “It’s seriously so unfair that you have a literal eight pack, I didn’t even know that was a real thing. I mean, you look like your muscles are photoshopped on. How is that even possible for a human being?” Felicity babbled, this one purpose, more than willing to accept his scars and choosing to make him feel more confident about what he was showing her by not even mentioning their presence.

Because really, scars or not, the man was beautiful.

Oliver cracked a small smile, taking the towel from her. His fingers brushed her own as it traded hands, and their eyes met again. She saw everything he wasn’t saying in them. Relief that she didn’t ask questions, or point them out, but that wasn’t her place even though she was curious. If he wanted to tell her the story behind them, he could if he wanted, but it was his choice. He didn’t have a choice in how he received them, so she would give him one when it came to their story.  

He wiped the towel down his chest, then ran it over his wet hair causing it to stick out all over the place. Oliver ran his fingers through it, attempting to settle it down.

“I really need a hair cut.” He said to himself.

“No, you don’t. I like it like that length.” Now that was a thought she hadn’t meant to say out loud and her cheeks heated up.

Oliver flashed her a naughty grin like he already understood why she said it. “Oh?”

She just nodded, refusing to open her mouth and start talking about how she thought it was the perfect length to hold onto because that was not what friends did.

“Then I’ll keep it.” He said, a note of finality in his voice.

All Felicity could think was that wasn’t what friends said either.

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just like in canon, Oliver takes two steps forwards, one step backwards emotionally. Also just like in canon, John Diggle is amused by all the heart eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi... I just want to start off by saying thank you all so very much for all the kind words and sticking with me throughout this story and the turtle pace I seem to be moving at. You guys are seriously amazing and have given me such motivation to get this one written just by being so supportive and low pressure, and I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am for it. I've had so many lovely comments lending encouragement and positive words so again THANK YOU!! <3
> 
> As always, any kudos or comments you lovely readers want to leave behind would be amazing!
> 
> Now, I shan't make you all wait any longer -

 

 

Oliver awoke Sunday morning, a pit a dread uncurling in his stomach. He was planning to go to brunch at the Queen manor today with the ulterior motive of searching his father’s office. He didn’t want too at all, but he needed too. They needed to find answers to all the questions they uncovered and if there was even a chance he could find something go of use, he had to take it. Felicity had done more than her fair share, now it was his turn to step up. At least his Saturday had been a good day, of course that was thanks to her as well.

He had fun with her, joking around in an environment that wasn’t work related. Oliver didn’t know what had come over him when he decided to chase her and grab her to soak her with the water collecting in his shirt, but he had. He didn’t regret it though. For brief, terrifying, minute, he’d had a moment of ‘oh shit’ because Oliver wasn’t sure if he had done too far and made her uncomfortable. He had nothing to worry about it since she hadn’t seemed to mind, laughing the whole time without tensing or pulling away. It had made his chest feel warm, a sense of happiness filling his veins that she trusted him enough to be so close to him and to able to tease her without second guessing himself.

He’d done that a lot too.

Oliver had unabashedly flirted with her multiple times, even though she made it clear in the hardware store they were just friends. He’d respect her boundaries, of course, but his mind still wondered and consider the possibility of them being something more. Yesterday, he had finally admitted to himself that he cared about her, as more than friends. To be truthful, he started to understand the depth of his feelings for her at Iron Heights when she didn’t even hesitate to approach him after he nearly killed a man. Felicity didn’t so much as flinch at the blood coating his hands. Then she had called him a hero after a simple offer to repair her shower.

Him of all people, a hero.

Everything about her, about what he’s learned, what she’s shown him, all of it, since the day he’d met her had snowballed together. Then he had looked at her while she babbled about them being friends in the little hardware store and suddenly, he knew. Oliver cared about her, as more than just friends. Even though he was nearly positive she didn’t reciprocate those feelings, he was still grateful for just knowing her, and being her friend.

For now, that was enough.

Felicity had made him start to see himself the way she said she saw him. Oliver knew he still had a long road ahead of him, to stop only seeing the darkness within him. Now, thanks to her, he saw a little bit of light inside. It wasn’t enough to overpower the dark, not yet, but he finally had hope that maybe one day it would be that powerful.

All of the kind words she had spoken to him, the way Felicity made him feel like he really was some kind of hero and how she saw nothing but good in him, they were things he had stopped believing about himself.

Until he met her.

Meeting her was the first spark to warm his soul and bring it back to life. Making it better than it was before. Since the day he saw her talking to herself in her vibrant outfit and buzzing with energy, she’d done nothing but stoke the small flame within him. Felicity offered her generosity, her kindness, her own light, without expectation or a price. All of it had combined and grew large enough to shine a light on the feelings he’d been trying not to see.

Before he had known her, Oliver would’ve called developing feelings for someone unpredictable, the same way that fire often was unpredictable, then he met _her_.

Not that he would never call Felicity Smoak predictable, because she wasn’t. She embodied the qualities that defined a flame, the ones that made it dangerous and beautiful at once, being wild and being uncontainable.

Oliver couldn’t help thinking them meeting was something uncontrollable too, an eventuality in both of their lives. He cared about her about her in a way that felt deeper than some chance meeting in a rundown police department.   

That epiphany was the reason why he was so quiet in the ride home from the hardware store when she had so vehemently denied them being together to the employee. The disappointment of it stung, but he wanted nothing except for her to be happy, and if that wasn’t with him then so be it.

Oliver understood why she wouldn’t want to be with him. Felicity was nothing but goodness and light, and he still had a long way to go to move past the darkness within himself. He had to face his demons every day in the mirror, and Oliver wasn’t sure if he had them handled yet. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, let them ruin her like the way his own flesh was ruined. The burns and scars felt like proof, the physical manifestation of their continued existence.

He still couldn’t believe he’d shown her them, she was the first person, besides Diggle and the medical professionals who treated him after some the injuries and after Hong Kong, to see them. Oliver had been hesitant about taking his shirt off, insecure when it came to his scars and not wanting to her to look at him any differently. He also didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, he understood his scars weren’t a pretty sight.

She didn’t deserve to see such ugliness.

But then, yet again she blazed past the darkness, not sparing his scars a second glance and babbled about his muscles of all things. It had made him feel normal and hate the sight of his mottled flesh a little less. Felicity didn’t ask a single question about any of them. That right there was part of the reason he couldn’t remove himself and his darkness from her life, it was selfish he knew, but he wanted, even needed, her and everything she was. Felicity made him feel a little less broken and a little less scarred. Her light in his life was something he was lucky to have, and he wouldn’t ever risk extinguishing it.

Oliver didn’t deserve her, and he wasn’t sure he ever would.

 

**

 

Oliver made it to the mansion around ten am, and as he pulled his bike into the driveway, he was glad to see Tommy’s car wasn’t there. It’s not that he didn’t want to see him, but Tommy would just be one more person he’d have to avoid while he snuck off to search his father’s office. He put down the kickstand of his bike, pulling his helmet and laying it in the seat before moving to the front door, raising his hand and knocking.

It still felt strange for him to knock on the door of his old home but at the same time, the Queen mansion had a way of making others feel like they needed to stick to the strict rules of decorum. Even though it was his childhood home and he was Queen, he wasn’t spared of that feeling either.

Raisa answered the door almost immediately, greeting him with a warm smile.

“Mr. Oliver! It is good to see you.”

He matched her smile, not bothering to correct the formal address because he knew she wouldn’t listen. “You too, Raisa.”

She motioned for him to come inside, “Miss Thea, Mrs. Queen and Mr. Steele are waiting again in the sun room for you.”

“Thanks, Raisa.”

Before he entered the room, Oliver took a deep breath. It was the first time he’d be around his mother, and Walter, since he found out about everything she had done. He knew he was going to have trouble keeping his anger at bay. Oliver took a minute, and tried to get into the same headspace he did before an op, to clear his mind and shove his feelings in a box to deal with later. Oliver was good at that, compartmentalizing, but when it came to Felicity, things he used to be sure about no longer seemed so certain. He closed his eyes, and when they opened, he felt the same sense of purpose and the emotional distance he needed before a mission.

That was all this was.

An op.

Intelligence gathering, it was something he had done hundreds of times before.

With that thought in his mind, Oliver pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped inside.

“Ollie!” His little sister threw herself into his arms, and Oliver hugged her.

“I’ve missed you, Speedy.” He said, dropping a kiss to her hair.

She pulled herself out of his arms, shooting him a glare. “You say that, but I haven’t seen you all week after you promised to spend more time with me.”

Oliver grimaced, guilt hitting him straight in the stomach. “I’m sorry, Thea. I’ve just been so busy with work that I haven’t had much time for anything else.”

It wasn’t a total lie, he had been busy with work.

Thea gave him an unimpressed look, “That’s not a good excuse, big brother.”

“I agree with Thea,” His mother chimed in, “We are all finally in the same city, and we see you the same amount as when you were overseas, maybe even less.”

Fury, and heavy sense regret, flowed through him at her words. Maybe if he’d been here then he could’ve stopped his mother from hurting Felicity, or he would’ve realized sooner Moira’s involvement in the Gambit and whatever else she was in. Maybe then, he would actually want to be around his family instead of trying to avoid them all because he couldn’t look his mother in the eye without wanting to scream at her that he knew what she had done.

But he didn’t say any of that, choosing instead to make a noncommittal noise and take a seat at the table. Brunch passed by quickly and quietly. The only one Oliver spoke full sentences too was his baby sister. If his mother, he didn’t want to even give her that title, or Walter noticed, they didn’t say a word. After brunch, Walter went to his office for work while his mother went upstairs to take a nap, claiming she felt under the weather.

Thea had dragged Oliver into the specifically made movie slash game room and forced him to sit a through romantic comedy. He had felt guilty enough about not spending time with her that he didn’t even complain. As the credits rolled, he lifted Thea’s head from his lap and stood up.

“Are you leaving?” She asked, sitting up. The disappointment in her big brown eyes made his heart ache.

“Bathroom break,” Oliver reassured her, “Someone’s big head was laying on my bladder.”

The teasing did the trick, and Thea stuck her tongue out at him. She looked so much like the scrawny little girl who used to follow him around that he couldn’t help but ruffle her hair.

“Hey!” She complained, reaching up to smooth her it down, “Not cool.”

“I’ll be back.” He called out over his shoulder, leaving the room.

Oliver made sure the door was closed and she couldn’t see him make his way to their father’s study, which was in the opposite direction of the closest bathroom. This time, he didn’t let himself think about what he was doing, opening the door and stalking into the room with a purpose. He went straight to Robert Queen’s sturdy desk, rummaging through the drawers.

Nothing.

There was an ancient model of a desk top computer on the tabletop, but it wasn’t on and he knew it’d be password protected. Oliver also knew wasn’t Felicity. He didn’t have her talents with computers, and it would take way too much time to try and guess what the password would be. But Oliver had a gut feeling that anything he’d find would be on paper, not digital. The book of names they’d already found was as old fashioned as they come, and Oliver remembered his father’s dislike for computers. Any evidence had to be paper.

He finished searching all the drawers and files, nothing sticking out. Oliver cursed under his breath. Felicity and he were officially at a dead end. Then another thought struck him.

His mother had her own office too. 

Oliver glanced at his watch, he’d already been gone way too long for a bathroom break, but he figured he could blame his extended absence on a work call. He left his father’s office quickly, only pausing to make sure he wasn’t seen by the staff or anyone else, and headed to his mothers study. He knocked once before entering, to make sure she wasn’t inside and still upstairs napping like she said she would be.

Thankfully, it was empty.

He searched her desk and drawers thoroughly, taking care to put everything back exactly where he found them. He couldn’t risk her seeing something out of place and getting suspicious. The element of surprise was all the two of them had going at the moment.

Yet again, Oliver didn’t find anything, and Moira was more computer savvy than her late husband. Her desktop was also password protected, and he didn’t want to try and guess her password in case it would send her an alert. He frowned, running his eyes over the room in a search for anything of use. His eyes stopped on the large grandfather clock seated in the corner of the room.

The time on it was wrong, and the seconds weren’t ticking.

His mother was nothing if not a perfectionist, she wouldn’t let something like that slide unless she had a reason.

Oliver stood in front of the clock, studying the edge. He slid his hand over the side, feeling for the latch to open it. He felt the latch and pulled, opening the front carefully. Inside, hidden behind the non-working gears, was a small leather-bound book. Oliver’s heart started to beat a staccato in his chest as he maneuvered the book out of the compartment.

He sucked in a breath.

The same symbol on the book they already had, was also pressed into the cover of this one.

Oliver flipped through the pages, unsurprised to find them blank. He didn’t have a heat source readily available, and he couldn’t stay in the office much longer. Tucking the book into his pocket, he left her office on silent feet and made his way back to Thea. Oliver stopped a few feet from the door to guarantee his little sister wouldn’t be able to hear him then pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Felicity’s number quickly.

“ _Hey Oliver,_ ” She answered cheerfully after the third ring.

“I found something,” He said without preamble. Oliver heard her rush of air over the phone, like let out a heavy breath.

“ _What did you find?”_

“I’ll show you tomorrow at work. I don’t want to say over an unsecure line.”

“ _You think we need to be that careful?_ ” Felicity sounded nervous, her voice slightly higher than usual.

“I think we need to take as many precautions as we can.” Oliver didn’t want to scare her, but she deserved his honesty.

“ _Right. Dumb question, of course we do. I mean look what happened to me…”_ There was a pause. “ _In that case, I’ll tell you what I found tomorrow too.”_

He was instantly on edge. “Be careful, okay?” The _cover your tracks_ was left unsaid.

“ _Always. Don’t worry. This was in my house, baby._ ” She gasped, and he smiled, feeling some the tension ease in him as he happily prepared himself for the inevitable ramble that he knew was about to follow. “ _I mean, this is what I do and I know what I’m doing. Because it’s the internet. I wasn’t calling you baby in like a pet name way. You’re not my baby. It was just a saying. A stupid one. Like who started calling their significant other baby? So weird. You wouldn’t call them infant, you know? So what’s the difference? I mean-,”_

“Felicity,” Oliver interrupted gently, regretting it but he had to go back in with Thea, “I know what you meant. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I have to go.” Not wanting her to feel like he was hanging up because of her babble, he added, “I’m hanging out with my baby sister.”

“ _Oh! Of course. Go have fun. Bye, Oliver. See you tomorrow._ ”

He let out a quiet chuckle as he hung up the phone. Feeling lighter than he had when he called her.

“You were gone forever. What’s with the dopey smile on your face?” Thea asked suspiciously as he entered the room.

Oliver dropped the smile immediately. “Nothing. And sorry, work called as I was leaving the bathroom.”

“Since when does work make you look like that?”

“I happen to like my job, Speedy.” The older sibling in him couldn’t resist adding, “Maybe if you had a job you’d understand.”

She rolled her eyes, “Shut up, Ollie.”

 

**

 

Oliver sat tiredly at his desk Monday morning.

He hadn’t slept much the night before, trying to figure out what it meant to find another book in his mother’s office. The same book which was currently burning a hole through his pocket. He couldn’t bring himself to add heat to its pages and see if the same names appeared last night, he had chosen to wait until Felicity was there too. The familiar soft click of heels across the linoleum floor filled his ears. Oliver glanced up to see Felicity walking towards his desk with a broad grin on her face, her hands precariously holding a coffee carrier and a large brown paper bag placed on top of it.

Oliver stood from his desk and met her halfway, taking the bag and coffee carrier before she dropped them.

“Thanks,” She said cheerfully, readjusting the purse strap that was falling off her shoulder, “It’s Dig’s first day back so I brought him coffee and pastries.”

Oliver couldn’t help but smile at her thoughtfulness.

“Just Dig huh?” He glanced at the large bag and four coffees.

Felicity laughed. “No, there’s a coffee for you, me and Quentin too. And I ate mine on the way up, I couldn’t resist. The cherry and cream cheese Danishes from the café down the street are amazing. Is John here yet? I didn’t see him at his desk.” She said it all in one breath.

Oliver nodded, amused at how fast she spoke and switched topics. “Yeah, he’s here. The Captain wanted to talk to him before he started today, to welcome him back.”

“Oh, well then I’ll head to his office. Wanna help walk this stuff there?” Despite the fact he was already carrying the baked goods and coffee’s she asked anyways, looking up at him with big blue doe eyes behind her glasses.

As if he could ever say no to anything she asked.

Oliver readjusted the hot coffees, while she grabbed the pastry bag resting on top of the cardboard coffee carrier, and he tipped his head towards the Captains office in a ‘lead the way’ gesture. Felicity turned on her high heels, her skirt swirling around her shapely legs. He had force himself to look away from them as she walked to Lance’s office. She knocked once against the door before stepping inside like it was her own.

Then again, he was pretty sure his crotchety Captain would give their bespectacled blonde genius his office if she asked for it.

“Good morning! I come bearing gifts,” Felicity called out as he followed her inside.

“The kid isn’t the prize you think he is, sweetheart.” Lance said, but he was missing his usual gruffness, being more teasing than mean.

Which was a surprise to Oliver, a good one, but still shocking. Judging by Diggle’s raised eyebrows, he thought so too.

Felicity rolled her eyes, but her huff of laughter betrayed her amusement.

“Funny. I meant the coffees and pastries.” She looked at John, absolutely beaming. It lit up her whole being, not just her face, and Oliver couldn’t look away from the pure light she radiated. Like a moth to a flame. “Welcome back! I’m so happy your okay. Gunshot wound survivors get first pick.” Felicity held out the paper bag to Dig.

John grinned, taking the pastries form her. “Thank you, Felicity. You’re awesome. But I’m glad to be back. I know that ones a handful.” He pointed to Oliver good-naturedly.

“Both of you, keep it up. I’m the one holding all the coffee, and I just might _accidently_ drop them.” Oliver commented offhandedly, adjusting the cardboard carrier he held with exaggerated movements.

Felicity raised her index finger, nearly poking him in the chest, while chastising him, “Don’t you dare even try it, Oliver Queen. We both know I’m the only real clumsy person here, and with the lack of slippery floors and fuzzy socks, there’s no excuse for you. If you drop them it’s premeditated. 1st degree coffee murder. And not even you can pull off fluorescent orange.”

Oliver stilled his hands immediately at her reprimand, his lips quirking up at her words as he flashbacked to her bathroom where he caught her in during one of her self-proclaimed clumsy moments. If the blush gracing her cheeks was any indication after her words caught up to her, she was thinking the same thing. Oliver didn’t miss the sharp eyes of John Diggle watching their interaction with an unreadable expression on his face. He watched Dig flick his eyes at Lance to judge his reaction, their Captain wore a mildly disgruntled look, but nowhere near the hostility of before.

Felicity pulled out two of the coffees, setting one on Lances desk and handing the other to Dig. The large man took it gratefully, taking a sip.

“Perfect,” John said, humming in satisfaction, and Felicity seemed pleased with herself.

Oliver saw Lance pull a face as he sipped his, “Coffee has been tasting so strange lately. I don’t know what it is.”

Oliver and Diggle shared an amused look, both remembering Felicity telling them she’d switched their Captains coffee to half-caffeinated.

“Uh, well you know what they say,” Felicity said nervously, and at Quentin’s clueless expression she added, “Your taste buds change over time so that’s probably why. Nothing else. It’s the same coffee you always get, and the same kind I always get for you. I didn’t change anything, same old, same old. Maybe you should switch to tea. Tea is-,“ John coughed, signaling her to stop talking. “Tea is good for you.” She finished, taking the hint.

Quentin looked bewildered but he was also used to her rambling, so he moved past it. “Right. Well, it’s time the three of you get out of my office and go do some work. Nice to have you back John, but if you want to keep your job, you’ll give me one of those pastries.” His eyes were alight in humor, while his voice was stern.

Diggle chuckled, dropping a Danish on his desk as the three of them left the office. They ended up at Johns desk, as he sat down and pulled out his own breakfast from the bag, laying them on a tissue to protect them from the desk surface.

Which was a good call in Oliver’s opinion, the desks at the SCPD were at least twenty years old and never got cleaned.

“I’m glad you’re back, man,” Oliver said with a smirk, stealing one of the pastries and taking a bite.

John rolled his eyes, and Felicity flicked him in the shoulder.

“Oliver,” She said in disapproval, “I told you Dig gets first pick.”

“He did.” Oliver defended, the same smirk on his face, “He picked which ones he wanted, and I picked from those.”

“Rude.” She huffed, a pout on her lips. Felicity turned back to Dig. “Ignoring Oliver and his lack of manners, I really am glad your back, John. I would love to stick around and chat, but McKenna needs my help with something so I gotta get going, but we are definitely catching up later. Stop by my office at some point, okay?” It was more of a demand a suggestion. Smiling brightly at the two of them, Felicity grabbed her own coffee and in a whirlwind of colorful fabric, and golden hair, she headed to her office. 

“So,” John started casually, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms, “You wanna tell me what I missed between you two while I was gone?”

Oliver jumped, breaking his attention away from where he hadn’t even realized he was watching Felicity walk away and turned to his partner. “What are you talking about?”

Diggle arched a single eyebrow, like he was asking Oliver if he really wanted to play dumb. John’s facial expressions had always said more and had gotten through to Oliver easier than his words ever did. Oliver let out a sigh.

“We got closer when you were on medical leave.” He conceded, unwilling to say more.

A flash of disapproval crossed Dig’s face and colored his tone. “How close are we talking? Because you’re coworkers, remember? Before you try to say anything, don’t think I didn’t notice the heart eyes, the flirting, and the identical bracelets. Never thought you’d be the one to get matching jewelry with a woman.” He commented the last part evenly, as if it was an observation and not a judgement.

Irritation, and a bit of embarrassment, flooded Oliver’s veins. “It’s not like that, John. We just worked on some cases together and became friends. We’re not sleeping together.”

He didn’t like John assuming he was just having casual sex with Felicity, because it was something the old ‘Ollie’ would’ve done, and she deserved way more then that. Oliver didn’t think his partners opinion was being fair to him, and who he was now.

Dig made a noise like he didn’t quite believe him. “We’ve been friends for years and you never got me a friendship bracelet.” 

Oliver shot him a look.

“They’re not friendship bracelets, they’re called _kabbalah,_ it’s a Jewish thing for good luck. I saw them in a convenience store investigating an armed robbery, and Felicity had mentioned it before, so I got them. No big deal.” He said, feeling oddly defensive of his actions.

Amusement flickered in Diggle’s eyes, until it transformed into understanding. What he understood now, Oliver didn’t know, but he knew John wasn’t going to let it go.

“Ah,” John spoke, the single syllable word having more meaning than it ought to while his face remained calm and impassive.

“Felicity is my friend,” Oliver reiterated, to himself and to John. It didn’t matter what Oliver may have wanted, their friendship was most important. “And I know that she thinks of me only as a friend anyways.”

Surprise, bordering on disbelief, moved across Diggle’s face before it was replaced with the eerie, all-knowing look he seemed have trademarked. He observed Oliver keenly, and he resisted the urge to fidget under Diggle’s gaze.

“You really don’t see it yet, do you man?” Dig asked suddenly, almost in exasperation.

“See what?”

Diggle shook his head. “I’m gonna let you figure that one out for yourself.”

**

Felicity breezed into her office, her step faltering slightly at the unexpected sight of Mckenna already sitting in one of the chairs at her desk. She knew the detective would be coming by, but she didn’t know how she felt about her seeing herself inside. Felicity liked Mckenna, but she seemed pretty straight laced, and all Felicity could think about were the countless illegal searches she was running on her computer from the names on the List.

That, and the fact Felicity was going to try and do some more digital snooping before Mckenna came by, had left her with a feeling of unease.

“Hi, Mckenna,” Felicity greeted, hoping her voice didn’t sound nervous, “You’re here early.” She rounded the corner of her desk, sinking into her comfy lumbar-supported desk chair. Nonchalantly, she wiggled her mouse, and relief flowed through her. Her computers were still locked and hiding all illegal activity.

Reasonably, Felicity knew that no one could get into her computers without specifically knowing her password but committing federal crimes in a police department made her jumpy.

“Yeah, sorry for just waltzing in but I really wanted to get started as soon as possible.” Mckenna said, the hint of apology was overshadowed by the determination in her tone.

Despite it, Felicity found herself grinning. Mckenna was tenacious.

“No worries. What can I help you with? Your email yesterday was a little lacking on the details.”

“Remember that drug bust you helped me on?” Mckenna asked, Felicity knew it was rhetorical so she kept quiet just nodding her head once, as the detective continued on, “Well, it lead to the Bertinelli crime family. Turns out, the supplier was moving product for the family. He snitched when we arrested him, told us that Frank Bertinelli’s daughter is unhappy, and there’s rumors she was considering turning on the family business and disappearing.”

“Okay,” Felicity said slowly, a bit confused, “So what do you need me for?”

“I think we can turn her and use her to take them down. But I need to know why she’s unhappy and if there’s any truth in the rumors. I can’t just bring her into the station and ask her, not yet, at least. I don’t want to spook them. We need to know more first.” Mckenna voiced, her confidence in her abilities and the plan she’d created evident in the way she held herself. Cool, calm, collected. “So, I got a warrant, and the SCPD has carte blanche to snoop as much as we’d like into Helena Bertinelli and I’d like you to do the snooping. Cell phone records, social media posts, all of it.”

Felicity sat back in surprise. “How’d you manage to get a DA and a judge to sign off on just that?” Her admiration of the other woman clear in the way she spoke. 

“Let’s just say ADA Donner said some things he shouldn’t of to me when he thought the cameras in an interrogation room weren’t recording,” Mckenna smirked, crossing her arms before adding helpfully, “They were, and now he’s inclined to do as I ask.”

Felicity laughed, not an ounce of sympathy in her when it came to Adam Donner. The guy was a jackass. She had a feeling those _things,_ Mckenna referenced were sexist or borderline harassment. Felicity couldn’t fault the woman for using it to her advantage instead of reporting him, they both knew law enforcement and the legal system was a boys club and they had to work twice as hard to get the same amount of respect the men did. Claims of harassment weren’t taken as seriously as they should be, or the reporting party was seen as ‘overreacting,’ ‘a bitch,’ or ‘too sensitive.’ Felicity had experienced it firsthand.

Her respect for Mckenna grew. Guess the woman wasn’t as straight laced as she thought.

“Then let’s not put the warrant to waste.” Felicity grinned, flexing her fingers and preparing to search through Helena Bertinelli’s online life and cell phone records.

Forty-five minutes later, Felicity had all she needed and Mckenna seemed eager for answers.

“So,” Felicity started, clicking a button and printing out the things she’d found, “It looks like Helena had a fiancé, Michael, who died in a car accident. Helena and her father barely spoke when she was engaged to Michael because daddy dearest didn’t like him. They were planning on moving out of state to the suburbs with HOA’s and white picket fences. The deposit was placed and everything, then suddenly, Michael’s dead. And Helena starts to talk to her father again. But she starts to keep diligent records of appointments with him and gets more involved with the legit construction side of the family business, at least on paper. I have a feeling Frank wants his daughter in not so legit part too.”

“So, Frank had the fiancé killed to get Helena back in the family business, and she knows and is compiling evidence against him.” Mckenna mused, nodding her head. “It’s a good motive.”

“I agree.”

“You found all of this just from her social media posts and records from the cell company?” Mckenna sounded equally as impressed by Felicity as she herself had been earlier.

“Kind of?” Felicity said, a questioning lilt to her voice, “Technically, I sent her a fake email embedded with a trojan, and when she opened it, I was able to worm my way into her laptop and cell phone. Everything’s connected and uploaded to the cloud, and her accounts all share the same password, which is a very bad idea BTW. So, it was a little more in depth than only those two things, but you wanted me to snoop.” With a shrug she added an afterthought, “Just a heads up, never keep the same password for everything and don’t open strange emails about custom made leather jackets.”

Mckenna stared at her in shock before a grin spread across her face. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Felicity matched her grin.

Helena’s digital life was easier to access than Istook’s phone and computer had been, but his computer was hidden behind a company firewall she couldn’t legally hack. Her trojan in Helena’s phone gave her access to read texts, emails and anything written in the various apps. She had also installed a program to it that downloaded as soon as Helena had clicked the link in the email which let the SCPD listen and record any phone calls.

It was her version of a digital wire tap, and it would still be admissible in court with the nature of the warrant Mckenna obtained. She supposed she could’ve done the same to Istook’s phone without cloning it, but the legalities get tricky since their warrant for him had been very specific on how they could surveil him, since Oliver originally had the idea about placing tech that’s what the warrant allowed.

Plus cloning his phone had made the most sense because since she had to place the tech on his computer anyways, that part was unavoidable.

Felicity also might’ve not mentioned the easier cell phone option because she really wanted to the test out her cloning program and the tech she designed. Both could come in handy in the future with the nature of what her and Oliver were looking into.

Sometimes, she couldn’t help but think it was much easier, and better, to work outside the law to get things done. Felicity knew that was a dangerous line to walk, Cooper had proved it, but she could justify all the illegal snooping she’d done recently as for the greater good. The things Oliver and she were working on was for the good of the city, and if it also got her justice for herself, well, then that was just another thing to put in the pro column.

Felicity probably could’ve done more, found more, about the Bertinelli’s just now without technically violating the warrant, but then she’d reveal her actual skill when it came to hacking and computers. She didn’t think it was worth the risk to use her full ability in front of someone she didn’t fully trust.

Not that Mckenna was a bad detective or corrupt in any way, Felicity liked her, but they weren’t partners. Oliver was her partner, he knew the full extent of her skills, just like Dig did even if he didn’t know everything she’d gotten into lately, and that was all the people she wanted to know.

Technically, Lance knew too, but he pretended he didn’t, so he didn’t count.

She’d work with one hand figuratively tied behind her back if it meant she could keep using her skills the way she wanted too when she wasn’t on the clock. Or well, on the clock too since she hacked from her work station sometimes.

Speaking of, Oliver still needed to show her what he found at the Mansion on Sunday. Him not wanting to discuss it over an unsecure line had made her realize just how dangerous what they were doing was. Which was silly, because Felicity nearly lost her life over the secrets Moira Queen was keeping. But working with Oliver, keeping it all under the radar, Felicity had felt a sense of safety and security. She hadn’t let herself even consider the idea that there was a chance Moira, or someone worse, knew what they were up too already. She had almost felt untouchable, leaning on Oliver’s support and their anonymity.

But that was naïve of her, because she knew all too well that someone was only untouchable until they got touched.

Moira Queen, and whoever else she was involved with would learn that lesson the hard way soon enough.

Felicity made a mental note to get a couple burner phones and upgrade them to her standards for the two of them for future use

Distracted by her thoughts, she hadn’t realized Mckenna was still talking until the detective called her name.

“Sorry what?” Felicity asked, a bit sheepish.

Mckenna brushed past her lack of attention easily, “I was asking if you could get me a print out of Helena’s calendar for the month. I want to approach her in an environment that’s not a police station in case she’s being watched. A neutral place would be the best to talk to her in.”

“Of course.” Felicity printed out a few more pages, spinning her chair to grab the papers off the printer. She held them out to Mckenna. “Here you go.”

“Thanks, Felicity.” Nervousness pulled at her eyebrows down and filled her warm brown eyes. “I still have to clear this all by the Captain. Any advice?” She said it uncertainly, like she didn’t know if she should be asking for guidance, instead of putting on false bravado and just doing it.

“Hit him with the facts. Show all the evidence and have a detailed plan on what you’re gonna do and say to Helena, the long term goals, stuff like that. The Capitan is a by the book guy, and he’ll want to know you thought of everything.” Felicity said encouragingly, a kind smile on her bright pink lips.

Before Mckenna could answer, the door to Felicity’s office swung open and Oliver strode in, pulling up short when he noticed Mckenna.

“Detective Hall,” Oliver greeted courteously, before turning to Felicity, “Do you have a second? I need to talk to you about the new evidence in our case.”

Felicity understood immediately what he was, badly, hinting at. Whatever he found yesterday at the mansion.

“Sure,” She faced Mckenna, “Good luck with Lance, let me know how it goes.”

Mckenna understood the hidden dismissal in her words, “Thanks again, Felicity. And I will.” She stood from the chair, “Bye, Oliver.”

He nodded at her, a tight smile on his face. He spoke again as soon as the door shut behind her.

“This is what I found.” Not wasting a second, Oliver pulled out a notebook identical to the one they already had, tossing it carefully on her desk. The only difference was that this one was missing water damage.

“Frack.” Felicity picked up the book, flipping through the pages. “Did you try heat on them yet?”

Oliver shook his head. “I wanted to wait until we were together.”

“Oh.” Ignoring the way his words sent a warm, gooey feeling through her chest, she grabbed the same lighter they used last time and held it unlit under the pages. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

She flicked the lighter on, running it underneath the paper. One by one names started to appear. A quick glance told her it was all the same names from the other book.

“On the bright side, now we have a good idea that whatever this is involves a group. Two identical books, both in the possession of Moira and Robert Queen. There has to be more.” Felicity determined, setting the book down.

Oliver took a seat in front of her desk. “But why? Every time we find anything it leads to more questions.” He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.

“Well, actually, I found something with Sagittarius.”

“What’d you find?”

“Most of the names on the List were funneling money through it right?“ She asked rhetorically. “Well a good portion of the money went to Unidac, the applied sciences division, specifically in their research and development project fund. The same Unidac Queen Consolidated just bought. That can’t be a coincidence.” Felicity drummed her fingers on her desk, energy filling her as she told what she found. Potential mystery solving was an adrenaline rush for her.

Oliver’s eyebrows furrowed. “No, that’s not a coincidence. What projects were they funding?”

“That I don’t know for certain. I did a report on Unidac before I left QC about it’s proposed technology, a lot of the stuff they’re into is clean energy, and anything that can harness energy can be redesigned into a weapon. And at that stage most of their idea’s were theoretical. But science advances quickly and now with all the money they’ve been receiving over the years… There has to be prototypes. Which is a terrifying thought. What good can come of corrupt businessmen dabbling in energy weapons? And I can’t even get into their systems to look around. Now that QC owns them, they have the same level of cyber security. I designed most of it when I was still at QC and you can’t access it without being onsite.” She explained it all quickly, her energy being converted into the speed of her words.

“None of that leads to anything good,” Oliver said, his voice grave. “I know kind of damage weapons of mass destruction can do, and none of them should be in Starling or out in the world.” Something in his tone made her think there was a story in his words, like he knew because he’d seen it person, and had experienced it.

But she’d never ask him, so instead she leaned forwards, demanding something else, “Ask me what else I found.”

His lips twitched upwards. “What else did you find?”

“Just like Tempest was under QC, Sagittarius is under Merlyn Global’s banner.” If only she had a mic to drop.

Oliver sat up straighter. “Shit. So that combined with him not being on the List…”

“Means he’s probably one of the main leaders behind whatever they’re hiding.” Felicity finished. “Moira and Malcom are the evil masterminds.” She cringed, “Sorry that was mean.”

“You’re not wrong. They killed my father.” Oliver said bitterly, then met her eyes, an almost hopeful look in them. “Do you think that maybe my dad found out what they were up too and tried to stop them? And that’s what got him killed?”

Her heart went out to him at his need to have at least one parent not be a terrible person and continue to be the person he thought they were when he was growing up. Yet again, she felt the same guilt trickling in because she was the one who destroyed his perceptions about his parents.

“I think that’s a pretty strong possibility.” Felicity said, a sureness in her tone that seemed to relax him.

Oliver smiled at her, a silent thanks for her words, before he straightened his jacket and his shoulders, like he was bracing himself.

“So, my mother and Malcolm are dabbling in energy weapons using dirty money from the corrupt one percent and indiscriminately hurting anyone who gets in their way.” Oliver said it casually, like he was discussing the weather.

“Yup. Pretty much.” Felicity agreed. “And we’re going to stop them.” She said it just as calmly, a dark smile crossing her face.

They might not have anything beyond speculation and educated guesses, but they’d find something soon enough that was irrefutable proof of all the misdeeds Moira and Malcolm were apart of. Something that no army of lawyers could dispute.

“We are.” Oliver met her eyes as he said it, and those two little words combined with the sheer power in his eyes made her certain of it.

 

 

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say only two can keep a secret, and only then if one of them is dead. But whoever 'they' are never met the OTA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Told you guys I would eventually update hahaha.   
> But seriously, sorry it took so long.   
> This fic keeps hitting me over the head with writers block (& i wasnt wearing a helmet) now that we're getting closer to the end. Maybe about ten or so more chapters until this is all done. But, I know how I want it to go so that's good. I've put a lot of foreshadowing about this next upcoming arc in the past couple chapters, anyone think they caught some of it and can guess what's next? Let me know down below :p
> 
> Thanks so much for all yall's patience and sticking with me, truly <3
> 
> As always, any kudo's or comments you'd like to drop would be ever so kind and they fuel me hahah.

 

 

Felicity stomach growled for the fourth time in twenty minutes. She glanced at the clock. It was nearing noon and she was starving. She pushed away from her desk, standing up and grabbing her purse, intent on convincing Oliver and Diggle to go to Big Belly Burger with her. She left her office and made a beeline for Oliver’s desk.

“Hey, you hungry?” She said as soon as she approached. “I want Big Belly and I figured I could convince you and Dig to come with. My treat.” Felicity smiled at him.

Oliver looked up from the case files he was looking at, his own smile turning up his lips, “Sounds good to me. But I’m paying.”

Felicity rolled her eyes. “I’m the one who wants it, I’ll pay for you guys. It’s not a big deal.”

He opened his mouth to argue with her, when he suddenly glanced behind her, “Tommy?”

Felicity froze, praying that Laurel wasn’t with him. She hadn’t heard anything from, or about, Laurel since she showed up at Felicity’s apartment. And honestly, she didn’t care too. Felicity had more important things happening in her life than Laurel and her drama. Which included whatever the relationship was between Tommy and Laurel. If their conversation the other night was any indication, then Laurel wasn’t as invested in it as she made herself seem to her boyfriend. She had never met Tommy, but she’d listened to Lance complain about him plenty, and Sara had told her some stories from when they were growing up.

From what’d she heard, he seemed like the same irresponsible party boy from his youth. Except now he was apparently willing to settle down and commit to a serious relationship.

Maybe he had changed.

Oliver did.

Felicity mentally chided herself for judging Tommy without really knowing him.

“Hey Ollie,” Tommy greeted, and Felicity watched as Oliver grimaced at the nickname, “I brought you lunch.” He held up a large plastic bag full of takeout containers.

A flash of disappointment went through her. So much for her lunch plans.

At least she still had Dig.

“Oh, well,” Oliver said, glancing at Felicity before turning to his childhood friend, “I was actually about to head to lunch with Felicity.”

“No, Oliver,” Felicity spoke up, waving her hand dismissively, “Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. Dig and I can catch up at lunch. I haven’t had a chance to see him since this morning. You stay here, eat with your friend.”

Tommy looked between her and Oliver, surprise written across his face before he covered it with a friendly smile. He outstretched his hand for her to shake.

“Hi, Felicity. I’m Tommy. I don’t think we’ve had the chance to meet yet, but I’ve heard a lot about you from Laurel. It’s nice to finally meet you.” The smile on his face was nothing but kind, but Felicity resisted the urge to snort.

She doubted anything Laurel Lance had to say about her was nice. The extremely awkward screaming match from the other night flashed through her mind.

Yeah, there’s no way Laurel used to say anything nice about her.

She was sure Tommy was a nice person, but she had a gut feeling that whatever he’d came here for was Laurel based, and not just him wanting to bring his friend lunch. Especially if Laurel took up Felicity’s advice on seeing a therapist. Who knows what realizations she’d come too, and Felicity wanted nothing to do with any of it. She didn’t think Tommy knew about his girlfriend coming over while he went out with Oliver, but Felicity didn’t want to risk him asking her about it if she was wrong. Laurel’s business was her own and Felicity didn’t want to talk about it or cause more drama after the truce they’d agreed on.

Felicity just knew if Tommy mentioned that he met and talked to her longer than a polite introduction to Laurel, the other woman would take it as a slight and it’d damage the tenuous ‘fresh start’ they’d agreed to.

It’s not that she was worried about Laurel reaction, or necessary cared for the other woman’s opinion, Felicity was just tired of the melodramatics and almost high school level bullshit.

She had bigger issues to deal with.

Felicity shook his hand quickly, letting go as soon as it was socially acceptable. “Nice to meet you too, Tommy. But I should head out, my lunch break already started and I don’t want to waste it. See you later Oliver?”

Oliver shot her a look, like he knew she was just trying to escape. But he didn’t call her out on it in front of Tommy. They both knew Lance wouldn’t say a word if she took a three-hour lunch instead of the typical forty-five minutes. She smiled at him appreciatively, and he tilted his head in a way that told her he’d definitely be asking her about her abrupt departure when she got back from lunch.

“Yeah, see you later.” Oliver said, a promise in his voice that they would be talking about this later.

Felicity briefly wondered when they got so good at silent communication.

 

**

 

“So, that’s Felicity.” Tommy commented, as they both watched her walk away to Diggle’s desk.

Oliver turned his attention back to his friend. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. It’s just Laurel had me picturing someone... different.” He said, a curiosity in tone that Oliver didn’t like.

“Yeah well, Laurel isn’t the most reliable story teller.” Oliver retorted, a hint of bitterness lacing his words as he recalled what she said to Tommy after Iron Heights, and how she acted around Felicity previously.

Tommy set down the bag of food on Oliver’s desk, ignoring the barb. “What’s got you so grumpy this morning?”

“Nothing, I’m just busy.”

“Ah, I see,” Tommy nodded sagely, “But you had enough time to go to lunch with the very pretty blonde girl. Sorry your stuck with me as your lunch date instead of her.”

Oliver glared at him. “Shut up, Tommy.”

He laughed. “Love you too.”

“Whatever you brought better be good.” Oliver said, reaching for the bag.

“Greek. From the restaurant next to CNRI.” Tommy told him casually, as he dragged the chair next to his desk where suspects usually sit, to the opposite side so they were face to face.

Oliver paused, setting down a container and giving Tommy a look. “CNRI? Where Laurel works?”

Guilt crossed his best friends face. “Okay so, I might’ve bought the lunch for Laurel and I. But when I showed up, she wasn’t there. Her friend Joanna said she had an appointment. Then she wasn’t answering her phone and I didn’t wanna waste the food. I figured since the SCPD is right around the corner I’d stop by.”

“Oh, so I’m the back up plan then? Some friend you are.” Oliver said, but without any real heat.

“Hey, at least I’m bringing you food.”

“True.” Oliver opened one of plastic containers and started eating.

“I also came by because I have news,” Tommy said, then paused for dramatic effect, “My dad agreed to letting me work at the company in the way I want too. He’s letting me handle all the charity work Merlyn Global does.”

“That’s great, Tommy.” Oliver said, meaning every word, “When do you start?”

“Tomorrow. I met with him this morning, and I was going to tell Laurel over lunch,” He sounded disappointed, before he smiled widely, “But I’m glad you know first, it’s only right, since you gave me the advice to go forward with it.”

Oliver smiled back. “Well, I’m proud of you. I think it’ll be good for you, and you’ll be able to help a lot of people.”

Tommy nodded, his smiling turning mischievous. “I know the first event I want to do. I ran it by my dad already, and he was super on board.”

Oliver wasn’t sure if he wanted to know, the look on his friend’s face promised trouble.

“What is it?” Oliver asked cautiously.

“A benefit gala for the Starling City Police Department.” Tommy said cheekily. “It’s a win-win. You get money for the department and get to look handsome in a suit for the ladies, and for me.” He winked at Oliver. “And I get good PR for my dad’s company.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. “And it has nothing to do with the fact that your girlfriends father, who doesn’t like you, is a police captain in the SCPD?”

“What can I say? That’s just another check for the win column.” He shrugged innocently, before frowning. “Lately Laurels been acting really… I don’t know, distant? Just not like usual, and I’m hoping this will help to cheer her up. She loves a good gala. She says it because she can network but I know she just likes dressing up. So if throwing a big party helps then that’s what I’ll do.”

“Well, good luck getting Lance to agree to go. Being around a bunch of rich people and forcing him to dress in a suit is his worst nightmare.” Oliver chose to ignore the comment about Laurel. If Tommy started talking about his girlfriend and asking for advice about her or their relationship, Oliver wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold back his true opinion.

“It’s over his head. The police commissioner eats dinner with my dad like once a week, he’ll make Lance go.” Tommy said nonchalantly, “Hey, you going to eat the rest of your baklava or can I have it?”

Oliver’s perked up at the mention of the police commissioner, as he slid the dessert over to Tommy.

“The commissioner huh? You ever sit in on those?” He inquired, aiming for conversational. Whatever Malcom was up too was bad, and if it included the police commissioner?

Well that was worse.

“Nah, they’re usually pretty boring and I didn’t decide to become a productive member of society until like five minutes ago.” Tommy exaggerated. “If I sat in on every meeting he had with a politician or big business associate, I’d die from boredom.”

Repressing the irritation that spiked through him at Tommy’s casual indifference to things that were definitely important, Oliver redirected his questioning. “Oh? Who else does he usually meet up with?”

“Why are you so curious?” Tommy asked, a frown on his face with the baklava paused halfway to his mouth.

“Just wondering,” Oliver covered smoothly, “Now that I’m a public servant, I have a pension and government salary so I like to be in the know on what politicians could affect that.”

His friend snorted. “Dude, you have a trust fund. You’ll be fine.”

“Right.” Oliver said, a fake smile on his face that Tommy didn’t notice.

Because he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be fine, not after he outed his mother and her misdeeds to the general public. He wasn’t sure the Queen name, or finances, could recover from that. But Tommy didn’t know any of it, and it made Oliver feel guilty because whatever his mother was involved in had Tommy’s father involved too. At least Oliver had time to process everything before it all blows up in their faces.

When it inevitably comes out, Tommy would be blindsided.

So would Thea.

Oliver pushed those thoughts from his mind. He had to keep it secret, at least for now. The only way to protect his baby sister and childhood friend from the dangers of what he and Felicity discovered was to keep them in the dark about it all.

He only wished he could tell John. He hadn’t wanted too before, but now that they discovered more and kept finding twenty more questions for every one they answered, he wanted his partner’s advice. Diggle was smart, and his experience and wisdom would be invaluable in what they were searching for.

Maybe he could get Felicity to agree to tell John.

 

**

 

“So, you bring me coffee and pastries for breakfast, and now your buying me Big Belly Burger for lunch? Maybe I should get shot more often.” Diggle teased Felicity from the other side of the booth they were sitting at.

Felicity pointed a French fry threateningly at him. “Don’t you even joke like that John Diggle. You could’ve died.”

“I’ve had worse. It was just scratch.” He said dismissively.

“Oliver said something very similar about your gunshot wound the other day. You two are ridiculous. It was a GSW, not stubbing your toe.” She said, fully exasperated with those two men in her life. Felicity didn’t know if it was a show of macho testosterone filled attempt of ‘manliness’ or if they actually had pain tolerances that high, and she didn’t want to know. Neither of those options were appealing to her.

“He did, did he?” For only saying the same four words in a rhetorical question, John Diggle managed to say a whole lot. He was annoyingly perceptive that way, able to ask and insinuate more in short sentences paired with knowing tones than someone ever could in an entire speech. John did it so easily, so kindly, and so casually, he made whoever he was talking to _want_ to tell on themselves.

What Felicity had to tell on herself about, she didn’t know. But she felt like he was looking for her to confess something. Felicity felt sorry for any future Diggle children. They’d never get away with anything.

Ever.

“Uh, yes?” Felicity answered, more of a question than a statement.

Diggle nodded, like her non answer was expected. “You guys really bonded over my medical leave.” There was no question in his voice, he said it like a fact.

Felicity felt her cheeks heat up.

“Platonically,” She blurted out. It was a semi-lie, and she was sitting in front of a human lie detector so that was a really bad decision on her part. He raised an eyebrow like he knew she was lying but let her tell it anyway. “We’re friends.”

Almost kisses, and more than friendly feelings aside, that’s what it boiled down too. Oliver was her friend, her partner, and she didn’t want to make it awkward or risk losing that because she kind of (definitely) had feelings for him of the romantic variety.

“Right. You two are friends. Good friends.” Diggle agreed easily with her, but the look in his eyes made it clear he didn’t believe her. His warm brown eyes were almost screaming ‘I know you know that I know you’re lying but I’ll let you get away with it for now.’

Felicity resisted the urge to cave and spill everything on her mind about Oliver, just so she could get his advice. As much as she loved Sara, it felt weird telling her best friend about feelings she had for someone who Sara used be with and have feelings for.

Besides, she knew Sara would tell her to just make the jump and tell him how she felt outright. And Felicity wanted to keep herself safe in her cocoon of denial as long as possible.

Felicity had gotten good at repressing things over the past couple years, and she was going to use that harshly taught skill.

If she told Oliver, then everything would change, and she wasn’t ready for that. Not yet. Felicity wasn’t as brave as Oliver had told her she was.

John gave her another searching stare but changed the subject. Thank goodness.

“So, what have I missed around the precinct while I was out for my very terrible and painful gunshot wound that was way worse than stubbing a toe?” He asked teasingly, referencing what she’d said to him earlier.

Felicity jumped in eagerly at the change of subject. “Well, remember when you arrested Roy Harper?”

“The kid from the Glades? Yeah, we had to drop all charges because the video quality was _mysteriously_ ,” He shot her a pointed look, “terrible.”

She grinned cheekily at him, not confirming or denying the insinuation there. “He was mistakenly arrested for armed robbery, but he was really helping to stop an armed robber. I told you he was a good kid.”

Diggle stared at her in surprise. “You did. The charges were dropped against him, right?”

Felicity waved a dismissive hand.

“Yeah, once I explained it all to Oliver, nothing was filed, and Roy was released. Oh!” Felicity said, as she remembered something else. “You were totally right about Mckenna smoking cigarettes, by the way. I had to borrow a lighter the other day and she had one. Then she admitted she was trying to quit.”

“What’d you need a lighter for?” He asked, confusion in his tone.

Felicity fidgeted in her seat, scrambling for an excuse. She couldn’t exactly tell him she and Oliver needed it to reveal invisible ink from a notebook found with the blown up remains of the Queen’s Gambit.

The thought made her feel guilty.

Felicity wanted to keep Diggle out of it to protect him, but now that they knew what they were getting into, lists of corrupt powerful people and potential energy weapons, it felt like an all hands on deck kind of situation. Plus, John was just as much Oliver’s partner as she was, and it felt like he deserved to know.

Felicity didn’t like keeping secrets from him. She knew that she’d have to tell him everything, including her past, but she trusted John to know it. Or at least, most of it. She didn’t want to go in great detail, pictures and all, like when she told Oliver. She had needed him to understand what she’d experienced but with John, it was different. Some parts of it felt too personal to tell him. She didn’t know why she felt like that. Something about Oliver had just drawn her too him. The trust and faith Felicity had in him, she felt in her bones.

Strangely, it was still a lot less nerve wracking thinking of telling John, than it was when she was contemplating telling Oliver.

“Earth to Felicity?” John called out, amused.

“Sorry, what?”  
“I asked what you needed a lighter for. And also, you owe me five bucks because I told you she smoked.” He said smugly.

“I’m buying you lunch, don’t get greedy. That’s more than enough,” Felicity retorted, “And I needed it because Oliver had a loose thread on the inside of his suit jacket and it’s better to burn them off than cut them.” She fed him the same lie they gave Mckenna.

Diggle blinked. “How exactly did you know there was a loose thread on the _inside_ of Oliver’s suit jacket?” There was a mild wariness in his tone, like he didn’t really want to know.

Felicity felt her face flush again. “We were working in my office and he took it off because it was warm in there and I saw it. That’s all.”

“Ah.” The word said a whole lot more than its single syllable should allow.

“Anyways,” Felicity said firmly, ignoring him, “Nothing else really happened.” She shrugged, munching on a fry.

“What about the Declan case? I saw it on the news. Heard something went down at Iron Heights.”

Felicity choked on her fry. She patted her chest roughly and grabbed her drink. Yet again, another thing she’d have to tell him a half truth on. Dig didn’t know about Kent Samuels and his interference in her life. While she was considering telling him everything already, the last place she wanted to do it was in Big Belly Burger. Diggle noticed her reaction with a raised eyebrow.

“I take it that didn’t go well.” He observed.

“Not quite,” She agreed. “Basically, Declan was framed for murder and Oliver and I got him acquitted but when Oliver went to the prison to talk to him a ‘riot,’” Felicity made air quotes around the word, “Broke out in an attempt to get to them, and Laurel, who was also there, against the wishes of her father might I add, got held hostage by a prisoner and Oliver had to save her. Everyone was okay in the end, but it was a real mess.” She said conversationally, stealing one of his fries.

John stared at her. “A week, Felicity. I was gone for a week.” He sounded exasperated, “Remind me not to get shot again. I missed so much.”

 

**

 

They made it back to the station before they were gone too long, their lunch ended up being just over an hour. Diggle was worried Lance would be pissed but Felicity told him all he had to do was play the ‘shot in the line of duty’ card and he’d be set. Luckily though, Lance hadn’t noticed the long lunch.

Felicity made her way to her office, waving to Oliver as she passed his desk. He was focused on his computer when she first waved, but he still noticed her as walked by. Oliver stood up, tipping his head towards her office.

She took it as a hint that he wanted to talk. Felicity huffed but gestured him to follow her. She truly didn’t want to talk about Tommy, because that meant she’d have to talk about Laurel. Felicity was in no mood to do that. Laurel Lance had taken over way too much of her life lately and she was tired of it.

They both stepped into her office, and he shut the door behind them. Felicity kicked off her heels and took a seat on her couch, pulling her legs up and underneath her. It was the most comfortable (and appropriate) way she could sit in her skirt without flashing things she didn’t want seen. She wished she could pull her knee’s up to her chest, but her skirt wouldn’t allow it.

“Felicity, relax,” Oliver said gently, noticing her body language, “I’m curious but I’m not going to force you to talk about Tommy earlier, not if you don’t want too.” He took a seat next her, unbuttoning his suit jacket after he sat.

Felicity sighed in relief.

“It’s not that I don’t like him or anything,” She reassured him, not wanting him to think his friend was the issue, “And he’s never done anything to me, but-,”

“Hey,” He interrupted, but not unkindly, “Like I said, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay.” Felicity said carefully. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Alright.” Oliver said simply, nodding his head. “I do have to tell you something Tommy told me. It’s part of why I wanted to talk to you.”

She gestured for him to go on. Felicity listened, unease filling her as he filled her in on Malcolm Merlyn’s dinner guests and the upcoming gala.

“So that’s not great.” Felicity finally said. “We have to assume the commissioner is in on the shady stuff, especially if Malcolm is rubbing elbows with him and eager for the charity gala. I mean, that’s like classic bad guy moves. Donate a bunch of money and then people start looking the other way.”

Oliver slumped slightly against the couch, resting his head on the back of it and staring at the ceiling.

“Then why wasn’t his name on the List? We would’ve noticed the police commissioner.”

“Maybe he joined after it was written,” Felicity reasoned, “Which we think was over five years ago when the Gambit went down. Malcolm and Moira could’ve recruited more people since then.”

“I was half hoping you’d tell me I was being paranoid.” He sighed.

Felicity snorted. “What’s the saying? ‘You’re not paranoid if they’re really after you.’”

Oliver laughed, but there wasn’t humor in it. “Every time we learn more, I realize how big this is and how it’s just the two of us against almost an entire city of corrupt individuals.”

She hesitated. “I might have an idea about that.”

Oliver turned his head to look at her, meeting her eyes. “What idea?” 

“Before you say no,” Felicity started, leveling him with a look, “Just hear me out.” His eyebrows furrowed, and she continued. “I think we should tell John.”

Surprise lit up his face, and he shook his head. She opened her mouth to hastily explain her reasons.

“Felicity,” Oliver said as he sat up, stopping her ramble before it could start. His voice was calm, and he sounded like he was open to the idea. “I’m not shaking my head no. I was just surprised because I was thinking the same thing earlier.”

“Really?” Felicity was equally shocked as him.

“Really.” He confirmed. “I just didn’t know how to bring it up to you because… Because it’d mean you’d have to tell him everything.” The ‘about what happened to you’ was silent but she heard it anyways.

“I thought about that too,” She confessed, “And as much as I hate talking about it, I don’t think we have a choice anymore. We need as much help as we can get. And I trust Dig.”

Oliver frowned. “I trust him too, you know that, but I don’t want you to feel like you have no choice but to tell him. We’ve handled everything by ourselves so far, and if you’re not ready to tell another person then you don’t have too. Or we can figure out how to tell him without the full truth.”

Not for the first time, Felicity was blown away by Oliver’s thoughtfulness. Her stomach fluttered and warmth shot through her.

“No, no, its okay,” Felicity reassured him, reaching out and laying her palm on top of his hand. Oliver immediately flipped his hand over until they were palm to palm, wrapping his own much larger hand around hers. “I really appreciate it, but if we tell him, he deserves to know everything. Not just half truths.”

“If you’re sure.” Oliver squeezed her hand gently.

“I am.” She smiled at him. Then the happy flutter in her stomach was replaced with nerves, “I think we should do it tonight. The sooner the better. Like ripping off a band aid.”

“Okay. Tonight then. Where do you want to tell him? Your apartment?”

Felicity thought about how Sara heard voices through the wall when she originally told Oliver and shook her head. She didn’t want Sara questioning her more. She hated lying to her best friend. She also didn’t want to risk Sara hearing anything she wasn’t supposed too.

“No, my walls are super thin. When I told you, Sara heard me have company and started asking questions. Could we go to your apartment?”

He frowned. “Does she suspect anything?”

Felicity couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Does she suspect that we were talking about a conspiracy where Starling City’s elite and powerful figures are, for some reason, interested in energy weapons and killing anyone who gets in their way? No, she doesn’t.”

Oliver gave her an unimpressed look. “Okay, I get it. Dumb question.”

Felicity laughed, squeezing his hand to take some of the sting away from her words.

“Sorry, but that’d have to be a pretty good guess. She just thought I was on a date and invited the guy over,” Realizing what she said, Felicity blushed. She rushed to add, “Not that we were on a date obviously, and I don’t know why she thought that because I don’t invite guys over a lot. Or like ever, really. It’s been awhile. Not that you needed to know that either, and Oliver, please make me stop talking.” She tried to pull her hand from his, but he wouldn’t let her, holding tighter as he held back a laugh at her words.

“So,” Oliver said, redirecting their conversation with practiced ease, “We’ll invite John over tonight and tell him.”

 

**

 

“Oliver, are you going to tell me what you brought me over for or are we just going to keep sitting at your table and staring at each other?” John questioned, crossing his arms and staring at Oliver from where he sat on the opposite side of the kitchen table.

“I told you,” Oliver answered, a little impatient. “We have to wait until Felicity gets here.”

Diggle scrutinized him. “And what exactly makes it so necessary for her to be here?”

“You’ll find out soon.” He responded, drumming his fingers across the table and glancing at the front door.

John harrumphed. “I don’t like all of this secretive crap, man. We’re supposed to be partners.”

Guilt hit him full force in the stomach. “I know. That’s why you’re here.”

“Oh look, another cryptic statement. I love those.” Diggle said dryly, and Oliver knew the other man was getting annoyed.

Oliver opened his mouth to answer when there was a hesitant knock on his front door. He shot up from his seat and walked to the door quickly, opening it without checking the peephole. Felicity stood on the other side, a backpack slung over one shoulder and dressed in leggings, an SCPD hoodie, and radiating nervous energy. It was so reminiscent of what she looked like when she first told him everything he was hit with a flashback of that night.

Not for the first time, Oliver wished she’d never had to experience what she did.

“Hi,” Felicity greeted, but her voice sounded a little off. “Sorry I’m late. I went home and changed and then I panicked some, but I’m here now.”

Oliver frowned. He looked over his shoulder to John who was observing them carefully, he turned back to her and lowered his voice. “We don’t have do this if you’re not ready or if you don’t want too. We can figure something else out.”

He knew he was repeating himself, but he didn’t want her to feel like she was being forced into it. She smiled weakly up at him.

“Thank you, Oliver. But we both know we have to tell him.” She took a deep breath, like she was fortifying herself. “I also took three benzos before I came here so I’m good. Or I will be when they kick in.” Felicity muttered the last part under her breath, but he still heard her.

“And you drove here?” He chastised. “That’s not safe.”

“No officer,” Felicity rolled her eyes at him. “I took a cab. Even without the benzos I think I’d be too nervous to drive.”

He knew the feeling. Oliver was anxious himself about telling John and having the man he thought of like a brother realize he had been keeping things from him. He took a step back and gestured for her to come inside.

“Let’s get this over with.”

“I was hoping for something a little more reassuring.” She commented as she walked past him.

Oliver instantly felt bad. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s going to be fine, Felicity. I’ll be here the whole time, okay? If it gets too much, I’ll take over.”

She smiled softly at him, staring up at him and meeting his eyes. Diggle cleared his throat from where he still sat at the kitchen table, the open layout of Oliver’s apartment giving him a clear view of the two of them in the entranceway. They both startled, turning to look at the large man.

“Now that the gangs all here, care to share what’s going on?”

Felicity froze momentarily and the brief panic on her face had Oliver stepping in. “How about you have a seat at the table, and I’ll get water for everyone. Felicity?”

She jumped, her name startling her out of whatever moment she’d been lost in, before she nervously pulled the long sleeves of her hoodie over her hands. Oliver could tell Diggle noticed the anxious gesture by the furrowed brow and frown on his face.

“Right. Okay.” Felicity walked forwards and took a seat across from Diggle, dropping her back pack on the tabletop. “Hi, John.”

Despite whatever irritation he had no issue showing to Oliver, Diggle smiled kindly at Felicity.

“Hi, Felicity.”

Oliver grabbed three water bottles from his fridge, then placed two on the table in front of each of them. He kept one for himself, taking his own seat next to Felicity so they both faced John.

Felicity turned her head towards him. “I guess this time it’s you offering the drinks. But no snacks? I was a much better host.”

Oliver knew her joking was a defense mechanism and an attempt to deflect. He smiled encouragingly at her, and she took another breath before nodding once at him. Felicity sat up straighter and looked John in the eyes.

“Okay, what I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this room. The only people who know everything are Oliver and I, and now you. What we have to tell you is dangerous and there’s a chance someone could come after you if they find out what you know. It has to stay a secret, and even then, there’s a chance that you’d still be in danger. That said, do you still want to know?” Felicity asked, giving John a choice.

Oliver shouldn’t of been surprised by kindness, but he was, in the best way possible. Even if he knew John would want to know, he was still amazed at her attempt to give him a say in the matter.

Diggle leaned forwards, looking between the two of them, the kind of serious expression on his face that Oliver recognized from when they served together.

Like he was preparing himself to go into battle.

“Yes.” John answered, simple and straight to the point.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Felicity said wryly, unzipping her backpack and taking out her tablet. She unlocked it quickly, and he watched as she brought up pictures of the Gambit and the detailed research of everything they’d found so far. Her fingers paused, then she pulled up the mugshot of Kent Samuels.

Anger coursed through him at even the sight of the other man.

Felicity flipped tablet around and showed John the picture. “This is Kent Samuels.”

John did a double take at the picture before looking at Oliver. “Hang on, that’s the inmate from Iron Heights that took Laurel. You beat the crap out of him. I looked at the reports when Felicity and I got back from lunch. What does he have to do with this?”

Oliver grimaced, and Felicity flinched. Not thinking twice, he reached under the table and rested his hand on her knee, trying to offer whatever comfort he could. When she didn’t jump or startle at his touch, a sense of contentment, maybe even pride, came over him.

Felicity switched the picture for the ones of the Gambit. Oliver noticed she didn’t include the evidence pictures of her injuries or the reports. He wondered if she only showed those to him because she trusted and felt safe enough with him to do so. At least, Oliver felt that way with her. It was why he comfortable enough to show her his scars. To share something so intensely personal was difficult. Being that vulnerable with another person was never easy, but Felicity made it simpler.

That thought had him rubbing soothing circles on her knee with his thumb. Oliver knew she trusted John too, but whatever was between the two of them felt deeper than that, and it was almost a relief to have some form of confirmation that she thought so too. Felicity smiled at him softly, before regaining her serious expressing and looking back at John. She held onto the tablet tightly, her knuckles turning white.

“He has pretty much everything to do with this.” Felicity inhaled through her nose before breathing out. “He’s why I left QC. I’m going to tell you what happened and everything afterwards. It’s going to sound crazy, but I have proof.” She tapped her tablet.

And then she started talking.

John remained silent the whole time, listening as she told him about the night Samuels attacked her and what happened at the hospital with his mother afterwards. Oliver was amazed that she was able to keep her composure the whole time. She kept a clinical, and distant, approach as she spoke. He hadn’t needed to step in once. The only break in her outward expression was the tight grip she had on his hand under the table, which she’d grabbed almost as soon as she started telling her story.

Oliver didn’t know how to read his other partner. Diggle hadn’t said a word, only listening and looking at the proof of everything she’d discovered on the tablet as she came to it in her explanation.

Finally, she finished telling him everything they knew.

John leaned back, a weary but determined expression on his face.

“We’re talking a major conspiracy here,” Diggle said, his words slow like he was choosing them carefully. “This isn’t just normal rich people crime. This is attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and actual murder, domestic terrorism if they use the energy weapons in Starling, and a whole slew of other charges.”

Oliver shared a look with Felicity, neither of them had thought they’d actually use the weapons in Starling. They’d both assumed the weapons would be sold to the highest bidder. Oliver had guessed that the deal would happen in Starling, but he hadn’t even considered the detonation of them in the city. He knew the potential damage such weapons could cause and he hadn’t even considered that Malcolm Merlyn, or his own mother, would want to destroy their own city.

“What’s the benefit of them using the weapons in Starling instead of selling them? We figured that they’d auction them off to whoever would pay the most.” Oliver said, concerned.

“John’s right. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that sooner. I’m an idiot.” Felicity shook her head.  “We’re talking having the ability to level entire buildings or city blocks with Unidac’s tech. Who benefits from rebuilding it? QC, Merlyn Global, and all the other major corporations in the city. That’s hundreds of millions of dollars in potential revenue and the ability to redesign sections Starling as they see fit. It’d be a massive scale attempt of gentrification and they wouldn’t even have to face any criticism over it, because who cares about piles of rubble? They’d come out looking like saviors of Starling.”

John nodded and Oliver’s stomach sank.

“You really think that’s what they’re planning?” Oliver asked, dreading the response.

“I think our safest bet is to assume the worst.” John said firmly.

“I agree.” Felicity chimed in. “It makes more sense than them selling the weapons.”

If that was what his mother and Malcolm Merlyn were planning, it would turn Starling into no better than a war zone. It was inevitable. Lives would be lost and destroyed, and families would be torn apart. Oliver had seen too much, especially after Hong Kong, and he knew exactly what kind of devastation an act of violence like the one they had in store could cause. But he’d never thought he’d experience it again or in his own home.

His city wasn’t meant to be a war zone.

He’d came home to get away from that.

“I think so too.” John agreed. “Why sell what they could use themselves and make ten times the profit? We already know they don’t care if they hurt other people, you both were collateral to prove that. But to pull it off without getting caught, they’d have to pay off city officials and the police in order to cover it up.”

“Which they have.” Oliver said, thinking of the police commissioner. “I’d bet that they have the mayor in their pocket too. He’s been mayor since before I joined, and I know my mother donates to his campaign. There’s no telling who else in Starling’s government they have.”

John hesitated, and Oliver saw a flash of hurt cross his face before he covered it up.

“Why didn’t you both tell me sooner?”

Felicity looked as guilty as Oliver felt.

“We only found out about right after Deadshot,” Oliver explained, his tone apologetic. “You had just been shot, and there was so much going on, we just wanted to keep you safe. At least until we knew more.”

“But that was wrong of us,” Felicity interjected, “We should’ve told you. Obviously. Because you just figured out in two seconds what Evil Inc is up too and we’ve been at this way longer and didn’t.” Her tone was light, like she was trying to ease the tension in the room.

“I understand. I don’t like being kept in the dark, but I get why you did it.” Diggle sighed, rubbing his hand down his face. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, there was an almost exasperated look in them. “You know, when Oliver invited me over, I expected you two tell me you were secretly dating. Not this.”

Oliver watched as Felicity blushed at Dig’s words. She let go of his hand quickly, disguising the action as a need to push up her glasses. And he didn’t want to hear another vehement denial of them not dating so he stepped in before she could.

“Yeah, it’s a lot to take in.” Oliver said, meeting John’s eyes. “I really am sorry, man.”

“Me too.” Felicity chimed in. “There was just so much that I didn’t want to have to talk about ever again and I chickened out of telling you too. Oliver was just respecting that, so please don’t be mad at him.”

“Felicity, I’m not mad.” John said gently, giving her a small smile. Then glanced at Oliver. “At either of you. I get why you didn’t tell me. I do. It took a lot of bravery to retell what you went through and all that does is strengthen what I already knew.”

“What? You knew?” Felicity’s eyebrows drew together, and a wrinkle appeared in her forehead that only ever showed when she was truly confused.

John nodded. “That you were one of the smartest, most badass women on the planet? Yeah.”

Felicity absolutely beamed him, her whole face lighting up. “I love you, John Diggle.”

Oliver wasn’t prepared for the flash of jealousy that went through him at her words. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable.

“Anyways,” Oliver said, clearing his throat. “We need to figure out our next step.”

Diggle smirked at the subject change before adopting a more serious expression. “I think the Gala is our next best bet. We’d get all the high rollers in Starling in one room, along with the police and government. We can plant a few bugs or snoop where we know they wont be, like work places or even home.”

“That’s a great idea,” Felicity joined in eagerly. “I have a program that can clone a cell phone within a certain range so we’ll be able to hear or see whatever they do.”

“Then it’s a plan. We gather more intel at the Gala and go from there.” Oliver affirmed. “I’ll make sure Tommy keeps me updated on who’s going and when it will be.”

“He won’t get suspicious?” John asked.

“No.” Oliver said shortly. He knew Tommy would just think he was interested in his life and he felt even more guilty for using him for intel.

“Alright.” Diggle gave Oliver a wary look. “Don’t bite my head off for suggesting this, but I think I should talk to Lyla.”

“What?” Felicity exclaimed, staring at him in disbelief. “I just said no one else can know.”  

John turned his attention to her. “She works for ARGUS, Felicity. They could help us. If this starts to go down and we’re too late to stop it, and Hell even if we manage to stop it, we’ll need an outside agency’s help. There’s going to be some major clean up that has to happen. We’re talking about the prosecution of high-profile people, a lot of them either old money or powerful politicians.”

Oliver could tell by the look on her face she was about to argue with Diggle. He didn’t exactly agree with the other man either.

“Hang on,” Oliver said, stopping a fight before it could start. “I think we need to wait until we get more evidence. You know I trust Lyla, she helped save my life, but I don’t trust her boss. Amanda Waller isn’t someone I want having access to weapons of mass destruction.”

“Okay,” John sighed. “We’ll wait then.”

“And I’m going to do some more research into ARGUS.” Felicity stated. They both turned to her in shock. She shrugged unapologetically. “If you think we should use them John, then fine, but I don’t trust super secret government agencies. I’m going to see what I can find, just in case. It’s always good to have leverage.”

Once again, Oliver was struck with the reminder that Felicity Smoak was not someone to mess with.

She was a truly a force to be reckoned with.

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity can't catch a break, or a decent night's sleep, and she's (literally) tired of it.  
> Oliver keeps seeing things that annoy him.  
> Diggle finds himself amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> I'm excited for this update because it kind of kicks off our next arc in the story!! Which is gonna get very... interesting.. not gonna spoil it so I guess you'll just have to read ;)
> 
> As always thank you guys so much for your continued support, and patience, with me as I know the update schedule is a little wonky so I appreciate yall sticking with me <3 you're all the best!!!
> 
> Any kudos or comments would be lovely! I love hearing everyone's thoughts :)

 

 

John stayed a little while longer at Oliver’s apartment to ask Felicity and himself any other questions he had about what they’d talked about before he headed home for the night. Oliver watched as Felicity leaned back in her chair at the table and let out a yawn. She took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes.

“Tired?” Oliver asked her.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “I think it’s a combo of the benzo’s and mental exhaustion, but I can barely keep my eyes open.” Felicity proved the point when she yawned again.

“You shouldn’t take a cab this late, it’s not safe.” He said, his voice firm. “I can drive you home.”

She shot him a look. “Absolutely not. I’m not getting on your motorcycle.”

“Felicity,” Oliver sighed.

“Don’t say my name in that tone.” Her lips were pouted slightly. “You act like I’m crazy for not wanting to get on it. It’s literally a death trap.”

“Do you trust me?” He asked suddenly.

“I-,” Felicity seemed puzzled. “Of course I do. You know that.”

“Then trust that I won’t ever let anything hurt you.” Oliver vowed. And maybe he meant it to be more than just riding on his bike, but she didn’t need to know that.

“Okay.” She said quietly, not quite meeting his gaze.

“Okay?” He repeated, a little surprised she didn’t put up more of a fight.

“Don’t push your luck.” Felicity retorted, finally looking in his eyes.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

She snorted. “Mhm. I’m ready whenever you are, motorcycle man.”

“Motorcycle man?”

“I’m tired.” Felicity defended. “My comebacks aren’t as good when I’m sleepy.”

Oliver chuckled, smiling at her. “Then let’s get you home.” 

They were both quiet as they walked down to the parking garage. She broke the silence as they stopped in front of his bike. When Felicity looked up at him, her eyes were troubled behind her glasses.

“Do you think John meant what he said?” She asked.

“Which part?” If she was talking about when John called her badass, then absolutely.

“When he said he wasn’t mad at us. You guys are like brothers and I’d hate myself if I screwed that up for you.”

“Hey,” Oliver said softly. “Everything’s fine, Felicity. You know John. He doesn’t lie about his feelings, especially not when it comes to me. If he was feeling any kind of way, he would’ve called me out.” He smiled at her. “Just like you do.”

Felicity matched the smile, then she dropped it in favor of a hopeful expression. “Does that mean I can call you out about this ridiculous motorcycle plan and just take a cab instead?”

“Not a chance.” He chuckled, popping open the seat and grabbing two helmets out of the storage part. Oliver placed it on her head, fitting the straps to the right size under her chin and buckling it carefully. He tapped once against the helmet, right above her forehead. “There, now you’re all set.”

“Great, now I have a slightly lower chance of becoming a vegetable.” Felicity said sarcastically, her fingers curling tightly around her backpack straps.

“Now you’re just being dramatic.” He chastised, unable to stop himself from grinning as he fastened his own helmet. “I told you I wouldn’t let anything hurt you and I meant it. So,” Oliver offered his hand to help her onto the bike. In typical Felicity fashion, she ignored him and got on the back by herself. “See? You’re a natural.”

He slid in front of her and gripped the handles but left the kickstand down until she was situated. Felicity scooted about an inch closer, her hands barely resting on his jacket. Certainly not tight enough to hold on safely. Oliver gently grabbed her hands, guiding them around his torso slowly until she was wrapped around him. He tried, and failed, to ignore the way her warm palms felt against his stomach. His abs twitched, the muscles jumping under her small hands.

“Felicity, hold onto to me tight.” His voice came out deeper than he intended.

“I imagined you saying that under different circumstances.” She muttered but complied squeezing him tighter. Then Felicity seemed to realize what she said. “Very platonic circumstances.”

Oliver chuckled, using his foot to raise the kickstand and he started the engine. 

“Ready?” He had to raise his voice to talk over the loud rumble of the motor.

Oliver felt her nod against his back, holding him so tightly his breathing was interrupted for a second. He took a hand off the handlebars and tapped her vicelike arms.

“Can’t breathe, Felicity.”

She immediately loosened her grip. “Sorry.”

Without giving her a moment to overthink, because he knew her, Oliver pulled out of the spot and sped out of the garage. Normally when he drove his bike, he didn’t exactly drive carefully, he loved the adrenaline rush that came with driving a little recklessly. The feeling of the wind rushing by and the fast speeds were freeing. But Oliver didn’t want to cause Felicity any worry, so he drove more carefully.

At the start of the drive Felicity was wrapped tightly around him, and by the end of it she had loosened her hold and was even leaning away slightly. He’d caught her reflection in one of the side mirrors several times, a grin on her face and her eyes closed as she tilted her head back and enjoyed the wind blowing against her skin. She seemed so carefree that Oliver was almost disappointed when he pulled to a stop in front of her apartment building. He kicked the stand down and turned off the engine. She unwound herself from him and he heard the click of her helmet buckle being released. Felicity used his shoulders for support, moving off the bike. She held out the helmet to him.

“Told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” Oliver teased, taking the helmet. He slid off the seat, lifting it so he could put it inside the compartment.

“I’m willing to admit it wasn’t as bad as I expected.” Felicity conceded, fixing her glasses which were askew from the helmet.

“Can you admit that you had fun?”

“No, because I didn’t.”

“Uh huh. Sure.”

“I didn’t.” Felicity insisted, crossing her arms. Her lips were pursed in a pout as she stared up at him.

Oliver grinned at her, unable to contain it. She was adorable. He opened his mouth to speak when his phone rang loudly, echoing down the otherwise quiet street. Felicity startled at the noise, and then hers started to ring too. They shared a worried look.

“That can’t be good.” She said, rapidly removing her back pack and grabbing her phone out of it.

They answered their phones at the same time.

“Thea?”

“Roy?”

 

**

 

Oliver stormed into the police station, Felicity following in step behind him. He stopped short in the bull pen, stunned as he watched his baby sister and Roy Harper leaned in close together at his desk, each with flirty smiles on their faces. Thea sat in his desk chair while Roy sat in the metal suspect seat next to his desk. Just like the last time Oliver saw him. A nearby Detective, who Oliver assumed was babysitting, looked extremely uncomfortable.

“Uh oh.” Oliver heard Felicity mutter, as she stepped up next to him and saw the pair.

Oliver marched to his baby sister.

“Thea? Are you alright?” He demanded, pulling her up from the chair and into his arms.

“I’m fine, Ollie.” She mumbled into his chest but returned the hug.

“Roy, why do I keep finding you in police stations?” Felicity sounded exasperated. “You just find trouble everywhere.”

“I don’t do it on purpose.” Roy said defensively. Then looked between the two of them, a smirk on his face that Oliver really didn’t like. “Hang on, did you two come here together?”

Thea pulled away from him, giving the blushing Felicity a curious look, her eyes sharp. It reminded him so much of his mother that Oliver knew he needed to divert his baby sisters attention before she embarrassed him. He was also conscious of the other officer watching them and the last thing Felicity needed was rumors being spread.

“You both need to answer my questions first.” Oliver said firmly. “I can take it from here.” He directed it to the officer who nodded and left them. Oliver turned back to his sister. “What the hell happened?”

“I was in the Glades,” Thea started.

“What in the world were you doing in the Glades in the middle of the night? Are you insane?” He questioned harshly. Thea looked nervous.

“I.. uh..” She stuttered, looking anywhere but him.

“She was trying to buy weed.” Roy chipped in helpfully.

Oliver glared at him and Felicity flicked Roy in the head.

“Don’t be a snitch.” Felicity told him, and Oliver turned his glare on her. She looked up at him defiantly. “Hey, don’t you dare give me that look mister. It wasn’t Roy’s business to tell.”

“Felicity, I don’t think now is the time to encourage them to lie to the police.” He gritted out.

 “You’re not the police right now. You’re her brother.” Felicity said simply, gesturing to Thea.

“Who are you?” Thea asked, sounding extremely interested in the answer.

“Felicity Smoak.” She smiled at his sister. “I work with your brother.”

“Didn’t realize you worked such long shifts, Blondie.” Roy snarked, earning another flick on the head from her.

“We’re also friends.” Felicity added.

“You’re _friends_ with my brother?” The way Thea said friends made it seem like she couldn’t quite believe it.

“Uh, well I think so.” Felicity looked uncertain all of a sudden.

Oliver reached out, gently touching Felicity’s elbow to reassure her. “Felicity is my friend, Thea. And you’re deflecting the question. Were you seriously buying weed?”

A defensive expression crossed her face. “You don’t get to judge me, Ollie. You did a lot worse at my age.”

“I’m not trying to judge you Speedy.” It was a lie. He was judging her, because the Thea he knew wasn’t someone who went out and bought drugs. Oliver understood that he made mistakes at her age, but he didn’t want her making those same ones. “But what you did is stupid.”

“I know. Roy said the same thing after he stopped the guy from running off with my purse.” Thea said, smiling at the teenage boy.

Oliver bristled, immediately alarmed. Felicity looked equally bothered by the news. Neither Roy or Thea had mentioned that specific part over their separate calls.

“You were robbed? Where is he? Are you hurt? Why didn’t you tell me on that on the phone?”

“Sort of, but I’m fine. Roy got my purse back, but the guy got away. A cop was driving by and recognized who I was, so he stopped to talk to me and I told him what happened. Next thing I knew, I was here and he made me call you.” Thea explained, shrugging. “I swear, I’m fine. I wasn’t even going to report it if he didn’t stop me.”

Felicity smiled at Roy. “You and that hero complex. But what were you even doing there?”

“I was walking home from Sara and Nyssa’s gym and saw it all happen. The cop made me come here to take my statement and told me I could call someone if I needed to and I thought of you. I knew you worked here, and I don’t trust cops. Figured they’d be less likely to try and arrest me for something if you were here, Blondie.”

“I care about you too, Roy.”

“Whatever.” The teenager mumbled, staring at his feet. Oliver thought he saw a hint of red on his face.

He didn’t miss Thea’s keen eyes watching their interaction.

Oliver held his hand out to Roy to shake. The teenager looked up, then glanced nervously at Felicity who gave him an encouraging look. Roy took his hand hesitantly.

“Thank you for helping my sister.” He said seriously, shaking Roy’s hand with a firm grip. “She could’ve been seriously hurt. I’m glad you were there.” Oliver let go of their handshake.

Surprise crossed his face. “Oh. Yeah. Don’t mention it.”

“Now that that dumb display of masculinity is over,” Thea drawled sarcastically, “I’d like to go home and try to get the scuff marks off of my purse. It’s vintage.”

“Baking soda and warm water or rubbing alcohol diluted with water.” Felicity chipped in. “Works on shoes, so it’ll probably work on purses. At least I hope so…” She trailed off, apprehensively. “On second thought, nevermind, I don’t want to be responsible for ruining your purse. It looks super expensive. Vintage is like code for ‘costs lots of money.’ And all my shoes I usually buy on sale. Same with purses. But I’m poor. And you’re… not.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When Felicity opened them, she gave him a ‘please help’ look.

Oliver held back a smile. He saw Thea watching the two of them with the same interest of a cat when stalking a bird.

“I’m sorry,” His baby sister said abruptly, holding her hand out to Felicity. “I didn’t introduce myself earlier. That was rude of me. I’m Thea.”

Felicity shook her hand, a nervous smile on her face. “Felicity. But you knew that because I, uh, said it earlier.”

“Right. And you work with my brother?” Thea asked. There was a sweetness in her voice that Oliver only ever heard when she was a little girl and begging for candy after already conning someone else into giving her some. “Are you a cop?”

“No,” Felicity shook her head. “Not a cop. I do IT some other stuff here. Anything internet or technology related I handle.”

“Wow. That’s awesome.”  His sister said, sounding impressed if not a little surprised. “So, you met Ollie through the SCPD? Or did you know each other from before then?”

“Alright, Speedy. Enough with the twenty questions.” Oliver cut in. “You wanted to go home remember? And I know Felicity’s tired.”

“Oh?” Thea asked innocently, but there was a devilish tint in her eyes. “What have you guys been up too?”

Felicity’s face turned red, and the back of his neck felt warm at the insinuation. Roy was full on laughing. That quickly ended when Felicity punched him in the shoulder.

“None of your business.” Oliver retorted. “Now, call Hank and get him to come up here to get you.”

“Hank?” Roy asked, rubbing his shoulder where Felicity hit him.

“Our driver.” Thea explained.

“Right. Almost forgot you were Starling Royalty.” Roy said dryly, smirking at his baby sister. “My bad, princess.”

Oliver zeroed in on the facial expression on the teenager, and he didn’t like it one bit. Thea laughed, and went to say something but Oliver intervened.

“That’s enough of that. Let’s get you home, Thea.”

His baby sister rolled her eyes. “Do you want a ride home, Roy?”

“He doesn’t.” Oliver said, wincing when Felicity elbowed him in the side.

“Oliver’s kidding. That’s very kind of you, Thea. I’m sure Roy would appreciate that.” She said, smiling at his sister.

“How about I decide myself?” Roy retorted, and grinned at Thea. “If your driver isn’t too scared to go into the Glades this late, then yeah.”

“I can follow you both back if you want, make sure you both get home safely. To your own places, separately.” Oliver offered.

“You’re so annoying. You were literally just out doing God knows what with Felicity and you’re acting like this. Hypocrite.” Thea huffed, grabbing her cell phone from her purse. “I’m going to call Hank.” She stalked off.

“And I’m gonna go anywhere but here for the time being.” Roy said uncomfortably, then followed after Thea.

“It’s kind of adorable and also irritating to see you act like an overprotective big brother.” Felicity said, tilting her head to the side and giving him a smile. “But only because Roy’s harmless.”

He sighed. “I can’t help it. I was gone so long and when I left, Speedy was just a kid, and now she’s pretty much all grown up. I still see her as the little girl who used to chase after Tommy and I everywhere. Now she’s out trying to buy weed and flirting with boys.”

“That’s very sweet, Oliver. But Thea’s headstrong and she’s going to do what she wants,” Felicity looked up at him, a twinkle in her eyes. “Like another Queen sibling I know. All you can do is try to guide her and hope she listens.”

“You’re right. As usual.” Oliver couldn’t help but smile at her, their eyes meeting.

“Hank is on his way.” Thea said, walking back over. She looked between the two of them, understanding crossing her face. Oliver didn’t understand what that look was for. “ _Oh_. Wow.”

“What?” Oliver asked, frowning at her.

She stared at him and then shared a glance with Roy, who shook his head in an exasperated way. “Nothing, Ollie. I’ll tell you later.” Thea turned to Felicity. “It was really nice to meet you, Felicity. I’m glad to finally know some of my brothers coworkers since he spends all of his time here. But I’m starting to see why he likes it so much.” Her lips turned up into an enigmatic smile.

Oliver didn’t understand it, and if Felicity did, she didn’t mention anything, instead just matching Thea’s smile.

“It was great to meet you too. Except for the fact that we only met because you got robbed, that part sucks.” Felicity cringed. “And I totally didn’t mean to remind you of a probably very traumatic memory. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Thea giggled. “I’m a Queen so this wasn’t even top ten most traumatic things to happen in my life.”

Oliver wasn’t appreciative of the dark humor. He didn’t want to think of anything bad happening to his baby sister. It was also a harsh reminder of the things he was keeping from her, and how it was all going to blow up in his face at some point. Like she knew what he was thinking, Felicity rested her hand on his jacket sleeve. The warmth of her palm through the fabric was a comfort.

“I get it. I’ve had my fair share of those too.” Felicity smiled sympathetically, then added lightly. “You ever go black Friday shopping? Pretty sure that’s a similar experience.”

Roy laughed, and so did his sister but Oliver knew that black Friday shopping wasn’t the traumatic memory Felicity was really talking about.

Eager to change the subject, he asked. “Are you going to tell mom and Walter what happened?”

Thea shook her head and gave him a pleading look. “Wasn’t planning on it. I was hoping you wouldn’t either.”

“Speedy,” Oliver sighed, and Felicity tugged on his jacket. He glanced down at her and read the expression on her face. “I’d prefer if you’d tell them but it’s your choice. I’ve made my own fair share of stupid decisions when I was kid that I wished they didn’t know about. So, I won’t tell them,” Thea’s face lit up and he held up a hand, “As along as you promise not to do something like tonight again.”

Thea seemed shocked, and so did Roy.

“I promise.” She said, then threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Ollie. I love you.”

Felicity stepped back to give them space, grinning at him. 

He hugged his baby sister back. “I love you too, Speedy.”

 

**

 

_Felicity’s eyes sprung open, and she immediately recognized where she was despite her vision being blurry without her glasses. She glanced down at her outfit, already knowing what’d she find. It was the same skirt and blouse from the worst day in her entire life. Felicity was in her old apartment on the bed, her arms being stretched almost painfully to reach the headboard where her hands were bound to it. Felicity knew it was a nightmare._

_A memory to be exact._

_She’d lived through it, and her brain had forced her to experience it over and over ever since._

_The nightmare always started like this, her waking up tied to the bed, and ended with Samuels accomplishing the tasks he set out to do because she hadn’t been able to get her hands free in time. Her mind would force her to go through all of the horrible possibilities of what would have happened if she hadn’t broken the zip ties cutting into her wrists._

_Except this time, the nightmare was different._

_Samuels wasn’t on top of her, not like he was when she first woke up after he knocked her unconscious._

_This was the first time the nightmare had started this way, and she was dreading the reason of why that was. Felicity knew she wouldn’t be able to wake herself up and didn’t even bother to try. She’d never been able too before._

_Not until Samuels finished what he wanted to do to her._

_In all her previous nightmares based on what happened that night, there was no screw sticking out of the wooden slat of the headboard, not like there had been in real life. She’d used the screw to free herself, but her nightmares always took it away to keep her trapped on the bed with Samuels. Felicity prayed that that had also changed in this one. She felt along the headboard and when she felt the sharp screw, she let out a gasp which was muffled by the duct tape covering her mouth. Felicity immediately started to drag the zip tie across the threads of the screw, trying to saw through the plastic._

_Suddenly, a pained yell filled the air and then a maniacal laugh came after it._

_The voices were both men, and Felicity recognized the laughter as Samuels, but she didn’t know who the scream belonged too. There had never been anyone else besides the two of them in the nightmares before._

_Panicking, she sped up her movements to break the binding._

_Another scream pierced through the wall, followed by another chuckle. Her heart skipped when she realized it was a different voice from the first scream._

_Whoever was out there, Samuels was hurting them both._

_All she could hear while she dragged the zip tie across the screw were screams. A bone chilling laugh always came afterwards._

_Finally, she got her hands free. Felicity ripped the duct tape off of her mouth and sprinted out of her room, to the living room where the horrible noises were coming from. She had to help whoever was out there, to try to stop Samuels. It didn’t matter that somewhere deep in her mind she registered that it was just a dream, it still felt real. Her heart was racing, her wrists were sore from being bound, and she could still hear every horrible sound coming from the next room._

_The sight she saw, wasn’t one she was ever prepared to see. John and Oliver were tied up, battered and bloodied with Samuels standing over them. He had a knife in one hand, it was the same one from that night. The one he cut her clothes and her with, and the same one she ended up using to stab him. His other hand held a gun, just like the one he knocked her unconscious with._

_Her eyes flicked the other two men. John was unconscious, but Oliver was staring at her with pained, desperate eyes. Samuels finally took notice of her, and he grinned the same chilling smile that was burned into her brain. The same one he always wore in her nightmare. He pointed the gun at John._

_With no warning, no hesitation at all, Samuels pulled the trigger, and then aimed at Oliver._

_“No!” Felicity cried out, throwing her arms out in despair. Her knees felt weak and she almost collapsed, “Stop it! They didn’t do anything wrong!”_

_“They tried to save you.” Kent said, grinning manically. “No can save you, Felicity. Not from me.”_

_Tears streamed down her face and she was too terrified to even move._

_Oliver didn’t say a word as the gun was pointed at him, instead just staring at her like she was his salvation._

_But she couldn’t fucking move._

_Felicity couldn’t save him. She was stuck in place. From fear or some bullshit mind game from her own brain, she didn’t know. All she knew was that even though she kept screaming at herself to move, to do something, her body wouldn’t respond._

_Felicity was forced to watch as Samuels pulled the trigger again._

_“Oliver!” She screamed hysterically, gagging at the sight of blood pooling around him. She felt like all the air had been sucked out of her lungs as Oliver’s lifeless eyes stared back at her._

_“Oh, so you’ll scream out his name, but not mine?” Samuels snapped at her, aiming the gun at her. “Maybe we’ll have to change that.”_

_“You fucking monster.” Felicity hissed, urging her feet to move. Despite the fact she knew it was a dream, she was devasted and terrified and all she wanted was to get far, far away from the scene in front of her._

_But her legs wouldn’t move._

_“Yes.” He nodded, a leer on his face. “And you’re next.”_

The sound of a gun firing and an excruciating pain in her chest jerked her out of her nightmare. Felicity sat up abruptly, her hand pressed to her heart that was beating way too fast. Her eyes burned and she tasted the salt from tears on her lips. She realized she’d been crying, not only in her dream, but in her sleep too. Felicity tried to calm her breathing down before she went into a full blown panic attack.

Finally, she was able to get herself under control and glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was late, enough to where she could probably still fall back asleep and squeeze in another hour of sleep, but she didn’t want to risk another nightmare. Felicity sighed and accepted that she wasn’t going to get anymore than the three hours of fitful sleep she got. She dragged herself out of bed and to the kitchen to make her first (of many) cups of coffee.

 

**

 

Felicity hastily walked into the precinct, not quite sure how she managed to be late when she woke up way earlier than usual. Lance saw her as soon as she was about to enter her office and crooked a finger at her, gesturing for her come over to him. She slowed her steps, taking a big sip of the coffee she bought on the way to work.

“Hi, Captain.” Felicity greeted, smiling pleasantly at him. “What’s up?”

“So, you’re just gonna pretend I didn’t see you coming in late?” He raised an eyebrow, amusement twinkling in his warm brown eyes.

“Pretty much.” She answered, putting on her best innocent face.

“You’re killing me, kid.” Lance said, exasperated. “I was coming to get you because there’s a meeting I want you to sit in on. You and the entire Scooby gang.”

Felicity tilted her head. “I don’t know if that was meant to be a Buffy reference or just a simple Scooby-Doo reference, but either way I’m really proud of you.”

He chuckled. “Get in the conference room before I fire you.”

It was her turn to laugh. “We both know you’d never do that.”

“Better not be saying that in front of the officers, sweetheart. Some people in this precinct still actually respect the title of captain and I need to maintain a level of healthy fear.” Lance said dryly, gesturing for her to walk in front him.

They made their way down the hall to the conference room.

“Who exactly is in the Scooby gang?” Felicity asked curiously, as Quentin opened the door for her. “I mean, that’s a pretty cool title but who does that make me? Am I Daphne? Or Velma? And if you say Velma just because I wear glasses then you’re lame. Or are going the Buffy route? In that case I want to be Buffy. Maybe Xander. Oh, or maybe-,” She babbled, the words dying on her lips as she noticed John, Oliver, Mckenna and Billy Malone sitting around the conference table in silence. The four of them turned to stare at her and their Captain. “Um, hi.”

John waved, and Oliver and Mckenna grinned. Billy looked surprised to see her, sitting up straighter as he sent a smile her way while trying to catch her eye.

Which she avoided at all costs.

Felicity hadn’t seen Billy since their disastrous attempt at a first date.

He’d asked her out not long after she started working at the SCPD and Felicity had wanted so badly to feel normal again after everything that had happened, she agreed to go get coffee with him.

But it was a huge mistake.

It was too soon after Samuels and she hadn’t been even close to ready. Felicity had gotten to the busy coffee shop and when saw him through the window sitting in the extremely crowded place, her instincts screamed at her to turn around and go home. But despite them, she had forced herself to go inside. Even though the thought about being around that many people nearly sent her spiraling, Felicity had been determined to feel like herself again. Sara told her it was probably a bad idea, but she didn’t listen to her.

She should’ve.

Before Felicity could even reach the booth he was in, someone had bumped into her accidently almost knocking her down. When they grabbed her to keep her from falling, it triggered a panic attack. A combination of being held on to and surrounded by noise and other people breathing and talking had made her feel trapped. Felicity had then run to the bathroom and cried hysterically in a stall while trying to breathe again. She eventually had to call Sara to pick her up because she was so upset Felicity didn’t know if could drive. Billy hadn’t even seen her come in since it had been so crowded and she later texted him some excuse about how she got sick and couldn’t make it. He’d reached out a few times afterwards, but she never responded.

Felicity knew he was doing something in the organized crime unit now, but she hadn’t actually spoken to him since then. She ended up telling Lance about her attempt to go on a date and how awfully it ended, but never told him that it was Billy who asked her out on their very terrible non-date because she didn’t want his over protective steak to blame the Detective. Or lecture her about giving herself time to heal.

Lance pulled out a chair for her at the end of the table, John on her left and Oliver on her right. She sat down, and Quentin took his own seat at the other end.

“Alright, I know I haven’t been clear about why I called some of you here today. But-,” The shrill sound of his phone ringing cut him off and Lance pulled out his phone. He cursed when he saw whoever called him. “I have to take this. I’ll be right back. No one move.”

Everyone was quiet, and Felicity stared at her coffee cup, picking at the cardboard sleeve. She was determined not to look at Billy. Felicity was still embarrassed at the way she’d handled the whole situation and she didn’t particularly enjoy the memories it was bringing up, especially after her lack of sleep from her horrific dream. On that note, she didn’t even know if she could look at Oliver, or even John, without the scenes of her nightmare slamming into her mind’s eye. Those images were something she never wanted to see again. And as silly as it was, and Felicity knew it was ridiculous, but her brain didn’t care and she still felt guilty for not being able to save either of them.

So, the blue and white pattern on coffee cup was her safest bet to look at. She’d keep staring at it instead of the kind, warm brown eyes of John or the intense, blue eyes of Oliver that she could feel boring into the side of her face.

Because Felicity was tired, overly caffeinated and feeling extremely emotionally raw and the last thing she wanted was to cry at the start of the work day in the middle of a meeting.

It wasn’t even noon yet and she already wanted to go home and curl up into bed.

 

**

 

Oliver watched as Felicity tore at the sleeve on her coffee. He could tell she was nervous and on edge, the destroyed cardboard sleeve proved it, but he wasn’t sure why she felt that way. Oliver knew she liked Mckenna, and John wasn’t the problem. He looked at the only other person in the room, Billy Malone. Oliver didn’t know the other detective personally, but he knew the man worked organized crime. Lance didn’t tell him what the meeting was about yet, but he assumed that the meeting had something to do with that department, judging by Malone’s presence. Oliver’s eyes narrowed as he saw Malone staring at Felicity.

“How have you been?” Billy asked her, a friendly smile on his face.

Felicity glanced up, smiling back but it seemed a little on edge.

“Oh, I’ve been fine. At least, better than that one day. Which is good because I was super sick then and that’s never fun. But I haven’t been sick since, so that’s good. So, you know, I’m fine. Now.” She rambled, then winced and added. “How have you been?”

Malone’s smile turned amused and he let out a small chuckle at Felicity’s jumble of words. Oliver found himself irritated.

“Great. Organized crime keeps me busy. But it’s been so long since I’ve seen you, I was almost convinced you’d left for bigger and better things. All the other techs I’ve had consult on my cases are great, but they’re not Felicity Smoak.” He complimented.

Felicity’s cheeks turned pink.

“Sorry,” Oliver cut in. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Oliver Queen.” He unclenched his fist, he hadn’t even realized held done that, and held out his hand for Billy to shake. They shook hands quickly. Oliver felt John eyes on the side of his face, but he ignored it.

“Billy Malone. I’ve heard a lot about you. You did great work on the Floyd Lawton case.” 

“Well, that’s all thanks to John and Felicity.” Oliver said. “We make a good team.”

Billy nodded and smiled at John. “It’s good to see you again too, Dig.”

Oliver frowned slightly at the familiarity Malone showed with John by using his nickname. He didn’t know they knew each other either.

“You too, man.” John returned.

They started in on small talk, and Oliver tuned them out. Felicity took a long drink from her coffee, then frowned and shook it side to side. Oliver guessed it was empty by her disappointed look, and he chuckled.

“I know that can’t be your first cup this morning,” He whispered, leaning over to her. “So, it’s probably a good thing it’s gone.”

A flash of something he couldn’t read in time went across Felicity’s face before she gave him a playful glare. “It’s not. But I still need more because _someone_ kept me up half the night.”

Oliver smirked at Felicity, waiting for her to realize what she said while simultaneously ignoring all the images that sentence conjured. In his peripheral vision, he saw Mckenna’s jaw drop as she overheard Felicity. Mckenna quickly covered her expression and looked down at the folder in front of her without saying a word. Felicity’s eyes widened.

“Oh my god. That is not what I meant.” She said quickly, keeping her voice low. “You know what I meant. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like _that_ ,” Felicity pointed to his face, moving her index finger in a circle.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Oliver grinned at her.

The door to the conference room opened and Lance stepped back in, sporting a grumpier than usual expression. Felicity caught it and she leaned closer to him, a mischievous smile on her face.

“How much do you want to bet that he just got told he has to go the Gala Tommy is planning?” She whispered.

Oliver laughed loudly and Lance gave him a death glare.

“This isn’t a social gathering, Queen.” He barked.

Felicity disguised a giggle as a cough, and Oliver tried not to roll his eyes. John and Malone were literally talking too, but of course Lance only singles him out.

“What did you call the meeting for then, Quentin?” Felicity asked sweetly, smiling at him.

He softened his expression immediately and took a seat at the head of the table, motioning to Mckenna to pass out the papers in her folder. As soon as Lance wasn’t looking, Felicity shot him her version of wink (she blinked both eyes at every attempt and he found it extremely endearing) for easily redirecting their Captains anger.

_Teachers pet_ , Oliver mouthed at her.

Felicity smirked at him. John noticed the exchange and shook his head in amusement.

“Detective Hall has been working on taking down the Bertinelli crime family. With the help of Detective Malone, she was able to get Helena Bertinelli to agree to flip on her father and become an informant with us.” Lance started, nodding to Mckenna with a proud look. “But we don’t have enough to get any charges to stick. Hall came up with a plan to send an officer undercover as Helena’s significant other to play a dirty cop and get enough solid evidence to arrest her father.”

“Alright,” John said, his eyebrows furrowed. “But what does that have to do with us? Billy works organized crime. Oliver and I don’t. Neither does Felicity.”

“That’s the problem.” Mckenna chimed in with a frown. “Billy was the best candidate, but when Helena met him, she said her father wouldn’t buy it. Helena thinks it wouldn’t be believable enough.” Malone grimaced at her words. “But she heard about Oliver becoming a cop and she thinks… Well she thinks that he’d be the most believable.”

Oliver’s stomach turned and he frowned. “Absolutely not.”

“Queen,” Lance reprimanded. “I’m not gonna force you to do this, but at least hear her out before you say no.”

“It makes sense, when you think about it.” Malone interjected, meeting Oliver’s eyes. “I mean, with your past and being Oliver Queen, they’d definitely believe you were a dirty cop. They’d trust you a lot easier than they would me.”

Oliver tensed, glaring at him. He could understand where the other man’s reasoning was coming from, but he didn’t appreciate the way he said it. Like him being a dirty cop was just was something to be expected. Oliver felt Felicity’s hand on his thigh under the table, and when he met her eyes he saw reassurance in them, and she took her hand away as soon as he relaxed.

“What Billy means to say,” Mckenna said, shooting Malone a look. “Is that because of how people perceive the person you used to be, we could end up learning way more a lot faster than we could with another officer.”

Oliver looked at Diggle for his opinion.

“I hate to say it, man.” John said hesitantly. “But they have a point. We could really do some good here and bring them down. Maybe even get intel on any other potential dealings.” The knowing expression in his eyes made it clear he was referencing the List and everything else they were trying to figure out.

“So, what? You all want me to play boyfriend to Helena?” Oliver scoffed. “I don’t think Frank Bertinelli would be dumb enough to fall for that.”

“I think if we introduce the two of you in the right the way, then he will.” Mckenna told him, confidence in her voice. “Frank Bertinelli is arrogant. And if we lead him to believe he can control someone inside the force, then he’ll be blinded by the power that gives him.”

“Look, I understand why you need Oliver.” Felicity finally spoke up, “But I don’t understand why John and I are in on this.”

“That was my call.” Mckenna said, smiling at her. “I want you running comms and being any IT or tech support we need. You’re the best in the department. And John is Oliver’s partner.” She nodded respectfully at him. “You deserved to know too. I’d like for you to be in as tactical, just in case.”

“Of course.” Diggle agreed. “Whatever I can do.”

“I don’t exactly work in the field.” Felicity said, uncertainty in her voice. Confusion ran through Oliver. She’d never hesitated to go in the field before. Hell, she was excited when she went with him during the Declan case. “Maybe you should pick someone with more experience.”

“Felicity, no one has as much experience with computers as you do.” Malone chipped in, smiling at her. “Besides, it’s not really field work. The most you’d do is sit in a surveillance van. And Mckenna, Dig and I will be right there with you. We’ll keep you safe.”

Once again, irritation filled him as the other man talked. Diggle raised an eyebrow, looking between Billy and her, then he glanced at Oliver for his reaction. There was curiosity, and amusement, in Diggle’s face. But Oliver didn’t pay him any attention, his focus on Felicity. He watched as she smiled tightly.

“Alright,” Lance said, firmness in his tone. “Felicity, just like Queen, have the choice to participate in this op. If they don’t want too, they don’t have too.”

 Oliver sighed. He didn’t want to go undercover and pretend to be some mob princesses boyfriend. In fact, that was the last thing he wanted at the moment. Not when he was still coming to terms with his unrequited feelings for Felicity and the million other things they were dealing with.

But he was a cop. Oliver swore an oath, and he’d do whatever it took to help Starling.

“I’ll do it.” Oliver said finally, then looked to Felicity. “You in?”

“If you and John are in, then I’m in.” She agreed, with a hint of resignation.

Oliver frowned, and lowered his voice so no one else could hear him. He leaned towards her. “You don’t have to.”

Felicity gave him a small smile. “Yes, I do. Like I said, if you and John are doing this then so am I.”

His lips turned up on their own accord.

“Okay, you two,” Lance called out, his face unimpressed, “Cut it out. We need to start going over details now.”

“Alright,” Mckenna started, shuffling the papers in her folder, “So the plan is simple…”

 

**

 

A knock sounded on Felicity’s office door.

“It’s open,” She said, focusing on piecing back together the watch she’d taken it apart. Inside of it now rested a listening device that she designed herself. The wearer could turn it off and on themselves easily, by turning the dials on the side of the watch. That way if they were scanned for bugs, they could turn it off and nothing would show. The watch was for Oliver to wear on his ‘date’ with Helena tonight. The whole operation was moving way faster than she expected. They had only agreed to participate earlier that day.

Felicity heard the door open and recognized the heavy footfalls of Oliver. She knew he could walk silently but at some point, without her realizing, he had started to make sure he made noise when approaching her. She kept her eyes on the tiny screws of the watch, tightening them carefully.

“Hey,” Oliver said tentatively, “I, uh, was stopping by to see if you had the tech ready. I have to leave soon.”

Finally, she looked up. He stood almost awkwardly in front of her desk, watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite read. His eyebrows were drawn together, and his lips turned down in a frown.

“Yeah, one sec and it’ll be done.” Felicity told him, turning back to the watch.

“Okay,” He said easily, sitting down in the chair across from her.

They were both silent as she finished up with the watch.

“All done.” She handed it over to him. Oliver took it from her, their fingers brushing against one another. He met her eyes, and Felicity felt her cheeks warm.

“Thanks.” His voice was soft. “I half expected to have a wire taped to my chest.”

“Thankfully, it isn’t the 1970’s.” Felicity snorted, moving to put away the supplies littering her desk. “Cops don’t wear wires anymore.”

She pulled out a jewelry box that had a bracelet which functioned the same way the watch did, except with charms instead of the watches turning dials. She’d made it for another officer on a different case awhile ago. Felicity slid it across her desk to Oliver.

“For Helena.” She offered.

He opened the box, observing the charm bracelet inside. “I’ll give it to Mckenna. She’s going to be meeting with Helena beforehand.”

“Right.” Felicity knew that was the plan. Mckenna was going to be posing a customer at the bar of the restaurant and meet up with Helena in the bathroom before Oliver arrived to go over everything again with her and answer any questions. They were trying to keep everything as secretive and hidden as possible, just in case Helena was being watched by her fathers men. Mckenna and Billy had been able to keep in contact with her so far by using secure burner phones, which Felicity had already replaced with ones that she had personally encrypted to make them untraceable. Everyone had the new Felicity approved phones already, and Mckenna would be giving Helena her own tonight at the restaurant.

“Felicity,” Oliver said her name like was a reassurance. She didn’t know if he was trying to comfort himself or her. “With Helena… It won’t be real. It’s all for show.”

Her stomach twisted. Felicity knew that, but it wouldn’t make it any easier to watch.

“Do you need help putting on the watch?” Felicity asked abruptly, changing the subject. She refused to let herself overthink why he told her that. Nope. She wasn’t going to go down that rabbit hole. Not when he needed her to have his back in the field.

He studied her for a moment. “Sure.”

Oliver handed her back the watch, then held up his left wrist. She pushed his sleeve up slightly, revealing the red string of the _kabbalah_ tied around it. Felicity tapped it her index finger.

“Do you want me to take this off?”

“No,” Oliver answered firmly. “It stays on.”

Felicity smiled at him, the knot in her stomach uncurling somewhat. “Okay.”

She unhooked the watch and slid it over his hand until it was around his wrist. Felicity closed the latch. It was a perfect fit. She adjusted the dials on the side.

“This,” Felicity explained, turning the dial clockwise, “Turns on the listening-slash-recording device and transmits it to us.” She twisted it counter clock wise. “This turns it off. So, if you get scanned for bugs or need to stop the transmission signal for any reason, use it. I mean, you definitely shouldn’t need it off tonight because you aren’t meeting her dad yet or anything. But then again, the plan is for you two to leave together, so… You might have a need to turn it off, you know, in the room. Just in case.” Felicity wished she could sink into the floor.

She didn’t mean to insinuate Oliver and Helena were going to actually sleep together. That would be the assumption of anyone watching, because they were going to go back to a hotel for the night to make it seem like they did do the deed. It was to help project the image of them falling hard and fast for one another in case anyone was watching and to make their sudden relationship seem believable.

“It’ll be transmitting the whole time. This is an op, nothing more. It’s all for show.” Oliver repeated.

Another knock sounded at the door, and Mckenna stepped inside. She had changed out of her detective business suit and into a casual cocktail dress in preparation of going to the restaurant.

“Hey, guys,” Mckenna said, excitement dancing her eyes. “It’s game time.”

Felicity grimaced.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo... did anyone guess I was heading towards the Huntress/Helena part of season 1??? I think I've hinted at it a few times, and I mentioned the terrible attempt at a date Felicity went on waaaaaaaay back in chapter 2? maybe 3? I cant remember lol.  
> But like the tags say, I kind of pick and choose things from season 1 and others, and I make my own changes and squash things together (like introducing Billy and some of the Helena stuff I intend to write) but I am super excited for it! :)


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity's in her feelings, so is Oliver, Helena enjoys stirring the pot, John is amused, Mckenna just wants everyone to focus on their jobs, and Billy doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I just wanted to say THANK YOU all of you. Thank you so much for everyone who has read this fic and commented and left kudos or Hell, even just read it. I never would've thought when I posted this fic that it would get anywhere but 600 kudos, and nearly 18,000 hits?? that's freaking insane. I can't believe it. I'm so grateful for everyone in this fandom being so kind and gracious (and patient) when it comes to this story.  
> Everytime I got a notification for a kudo or someone commenting on this, it helped to spark my writing and get the next chapter written out. So again thank you!! I'm sorry if i'm behind on replying on comments but I've been so busy with real life I haven't had a spare moment. I'm uploading this between bouts of college homework and getting ready for work lol. 
> 
> Without (anymore) further ado... Chapter 23!

 

Felicity’s foot bounced up and down nervously as she sat in the too small surveillance van. She almost wished she’d kept her heels on instead of changing into flats so she could hear the soothing sound of the _click_ heels make against the metal floor instead of the quiet filling the space of the van. It was crowded, with Diggle, Mckenna, Billy and herself all squeezed inside. The camera feeds from inside the restaurant were on the screens in front of them, and the audio from the listening devices both Helena and Oliver were wearing played through the speakers. Oliver still had a comm unit in his ear for emergencies. But they were on radio silence unless it was absolutely necessary.

How Felicity ended up in a surveillance van that smelled like stale coffee and was packed with three other people, she didn’t know. Well, she guessed she did know, but it still felt surreal.

Felicity was supposed to be using her tech skills to create and innovate, not to watch the man she definitely had non-platonic feelings for go on a date with another woman. Safe to say, it was the last thing she expected, or wanted, to be doing. The plan was for Oliver and Helena to have their own ‘meet cute’ in the restaurant-slash-bar and hit it off. It would be their first time meeting officially to make it seem as authentic as possible. Just in case Helena was being watched by her father’s men. Oliver would approach her, be charming, introduce himself and they’d talk the night away.

All while Felicity got to be piled inside a small van with a slew of other people, which was bothering her anxiety, just so she could listen to Oliver go on a date.

What a joy.

And there was the issue of Billy. He hadn’t stopped trying to talk (aka flirt) with her and she had no idea how to handle it. He was a nice guy, really, but she didn’t like him. And she didn’t want to hurt his feelings or make this entire undercover op weird by telling him that. Felicity just hoped it would be over soon.

“You good?” John asked her, eyeing her restless foot. He was on the right side of her, Mckenna was on her left and thankfully Billy was on the other side of Diggle.

“Just peachy.” Felicity replied, watching on the monitor as Oliver observed Helena where she sat. He was seated at the bar by himself, and her table was right in front of the window. It was a strategic choice they’d made, that way if her father’s men were watching, they’d see exactly what Oliver and Helena wanted. It also helped them in the van have another visual angle too. Helena gave Oliver a flirty smile, and he responded with one of his own. It played well on the video feeds, and maybe it was because Felicity knew him so well that she could tell it was fake.

It made her feel a little better.

John hummed, obviously unconvinced at her response. But he didn’t question her further.

“Am I the only one who feels weird watching them go a on a date together?” Mckenna commented, humor in her tone.

“Feels like I’m watching some terrible version of a rom-com,” Felicity muttered under her breath. Mckenna still heard her, and she laughed.

“Yeah.” She agreed. “And I much preferred _How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days_ over this.”

Felicity smiled a little at the joke.  

“Oh, there he goes.” Billy commented as they all watched the live video of Oliver moving to approach Helena. “Let’s see how good pretty boys game is.”

Felicity looked past Diggle, glaring at Billy but she didn’t say anything.

“Jealous because you couldn’t show us your game?” Diggle questioned, his voice was dry, and his face remained even. There was no hint of agitation in his expression at all. Just a nice, solidly delivered burn.

Felicity grinned at the snarky comment, and discretely stuck out her hand for a fist bump. John returned it.

“Of course not.” Billy scoffed, but he looked embarrassed.

They spent the next hour and a half in relative silence as they watched Oliver’s date with Helena. Oliver’s voice floated over the speakers.

“ _What do you say to us ordering dessert?”_ He asked, a charming smile on his lips.

“ _I think I’m craving something else,”_ Helena answered suggestively, leaning close to him and running a hand down his chest. “ _What do you say to us getting out of here?_ ”

Oliver grinned salaciously at her. “ _Let’s go.”_

“Alright.” Mckenna said professionally, “They’re on the move and so are we. Diggle start the van so we can follow.”

“Got it.” He stood and moved to the front of van, turning over the engine.

Oliver had taken a cab to the restaurant, so they’d be leaving in Helena’s car. Felicity typed the license plate in her search program for the traffic cams, just in case. They knew what hotel they’d be at, but Felicity figured better safe than sorry. John waited until Oliver and Helena got into her vehicle and out of the parking lot before pulling away from the curb. He followed them at inconspicuous distance. Felicity sighed.

She had a headache.

She stood from her seat and moved to grab her purse that was on one of the shelves lining the back of the van that held other cables, cords and supplies they might need. Felicity dug through messy contents, searching for the bottle of Advil she knew she stuck inside. She ended up finding the pain medicine under a really old receipt and squashed pack of gum.

She really needed to clean out her purse, Felicity thought to herself as she pulled out the bottle. She turned to sit back in front of the monitors, but John slammed on the breaks and she went flying across the van. Billy caught her with two hands on her hips, stopping her from falling. Felicity tensed.

“Sorry,” John called out apologetically, “Damn cab cut me off.”

She stepped out of Billy’s hold quickly, not liking the feel of his hands on her. She resisted the urge to wipe down her skirt where his hands had been.

“You okay, Felicity?” Billy asked, a concerned expression on his face.

“Fine.” She replied shortly, giving him a tight smile. Felicity sat down, shaking two pills out of the bottle. She eyed the now cold coffee in her cup and decided to say screw it, dry swallowing the pills instead of forcing down the cold coffee.

“Uh, I have some water if you want.” Mckenna offered, pulling a unopened water bottle out of her own bag which was nestled at her feet.

“Oh,” Felicity took the bottle from her, cracking it open and taking a sip, “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

They reached the hotel not long afterwards, parking across the street. They all watched as Helena pulled up to the valet and tossed him her keys. Oliver’s arm was wrapped around her waist as they both made a show of laughing and stumbling into the lobby. Felicity lost sight of them as they went through the doors. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for Felicity) they didn’t have access to the hotels cameras, unable to get a warrant on such short notice, so all they could do was watch the entrance and use the audio from their listening devices. The four of them listened as Oliver booked and paid for a room.

“ _If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Room service is 24 hours.”_ The polite voice of the receptionist came over the speakers.

“ _How about a bottle of champagne?”_ Helena practically purred, “ _What do you think, Oliver?”_

Felicity cringed as she heard Oliver let out a throaty chuckle.

“ _Whatever you want, sweetheart.”_

“Hope he knows he can’t actually drink on the job.” Billy muttered next to her.

“He’s just playing a part, Billy.” Mckenna said confidently, “Oliver knows what he’s doing.” 

Felicity resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She didn’t understand what Billy’s problem with Oliver was, but it was starting to grate on her nerves. They spent the next twenty minutes listening while Helena and Oliver went up to their room and settled down inside.

“ _You can take the bed for the night, I’ll sleep on the couch.”_ Oliver said, his voice slightly gruff with a firm politeness that was a contrast to the smooth, charming one he’d been using all night. The tone and his words made Felicity feel oddly relieved, which she knew wasn’t fair to Oliver. She had no claim over him. She was the one who kept convincing herself they were better off as friends and she had no right to feel any kind of way but happy about him with another woman because he was her friend.

“ _Such a gentleman,”_ Helena answered, something teasing and almost flirtatious in it, “ _We can share, if you want. I’m a big girl, I can sleep in the same bed as a man without making it into something. Unless of course you think I’ll take advantage of you?”_

Felicity could practically picture the smirk on her lips as she said it.

“Is she actually flirting with him?” Felicity blurted out before she could stop herself, “She knows we can hear all of this right?”

Mckenna shot her a look filled with understanding, and a bit of pity if Felicity was reading it right. “I’m sure she’s just kidding.”

“Uh huh.” Felicity shifted in her seat uncomfortably, because now Billy and Diggle were both staring at her, the former in confusion and the latter in amusement.

“ _No, Helena. It’s fine. I’ll take the couch.”_ Oliver denied her advance, no trace of anything flirtatious in it.

“ _Suit yourself_.” Helena responded uncaringly, not sounding bothered by the refusal in the slightest. A knock on the sounded and she spoke again, “ _The champagne is here.”_

“ _I’ll get it, you stay there.”_

 _“Oliver, I don’t think my fathers men would be so kind as to knock on the door if it was them. They’d just break it down.”_ Helena said patronizingly.

Oliver didn’t reply, instead the sound of footsteps filled their ears as he walked across the floor. He answered the door, assumingly taking the bottle of champagne from the bellhop if the thanks they heard was any indication.

“ _Would you like a glass?”_ Helena asked, a rustle of staticky noise echoing in the van. Felicity guessed she was taking the bottle from Oliver and trying to open it.

“ _No._ ” The word was short, clipped. “ _I’m working. So are you.”_

“ _All work and no play makes Oliver a very dull boy.”_ Helena chastised, and how the woman managed to deliver a lame line like that so confidently and so sensually without sounding ridiculous, Felicity didn’t know. 

Oliver said nothing, but Felicity knew there was probably his usual grumpy look on his face and it almost made her smile. She heard the sound of a cork popping, then a horrible screech bounced off the metal walls of the van as Helena’s listening device went dead.

“What was that?” Mckenna asked, activating their emergency comm unit with Oliver. “We just lost Helena’s signal, what happened, Oliver?”

“ _When she popped the champagne it spilled on her bracelet, must’ve burned it out.”_ He answered, sounding annoyed.

Mckenna sighed, and turned to Felicity, “Can you fix it?”

She shrugged. “Probably.”

“How exactly is Felicity gonna get up there without being seen?” Diggle chimed in, his eyebrows furrowed together. “We’re meant to be doing this lowkey.”

“Well, if you guys want to close your eyes for…” Felicity typed into the computer in front of her, pulling up the hotels website and testing its security, “About two minutes, I can book myself into the room next to theirs with the conjoining door, free of charge and under a false name with no one the wiser.”

John smirked, Billy looked confused but Mckenna hesitated.

“I don’t know, Felicity,” She said, frowning, “Everything we do has to be above board. We cant risk anything that could let Bertinelli off the hook. A defense attorney could have a field day with that.”

“Look, no one has to know. I doubt something like this would even come up in a deposition or in court,” Felicity reasoned, “It’s not a big deal and it’s the fastest and sneakiest way to get up there and get her bracelet fixed. I won’t be staying.”

Mckenna studied her for a moment before bringing a hand to her ear where the comm rested, “I’m sending Felicity up. She’ll be in the room next to yours and will come in through the door that connects the rooms.”

 _“Mckenna_ , _I don’t think-,“_ Oliver started but Mckenna interrupted.

“This is what she’s here for. She’s on her way.” Mckenna pulled the comm out and Felicity grinned at her.

She appreciated the other woman not doubting her skills, or letting Oliver turn all broody and overprotective.

“Thanks for that.”

“Do your thing Felicity,” The detective smirked, turning in her chair and giving the other men significant looks, “Does that shelf look strange to you guys or is it just me?”

The boys took the hint and turned their backs to Felicity and the not so legal reservation she was making.

“It does.” Diggle said.

“Very strange.” Billy agreed.

Felicity snorted and did what she needed, in less time than she thought. She inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. She didn’t want to go up there but Mckenna was right, it was her job.

“Done.” Felicity called out, standing from her chair. She grabbed her tool kit from the shelf the others were staring at to avoid observing something borderline illegal. “I’ll be back soon.”

 

**

 

Helena was lounging casually in one of the arm chairs in the room’s sitting area, taking turns smirking at Oliver and drinking straight from the champagne bottle as they waited for Felicity. He sat in the chair opposite of her, trying to mind his temper. She was starting to aggravate him. One, she didn’t need to be drinking alcohol when they were both technically working and two, because he really didn’t like the look on her face. It was like she could see under his skin or knew something he didn’t. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, his body was entirely edge as if she was a threat of some kind.

He chalked up the feeling to nerves for his first undercover op with the SCPD. That, and the fact that Felicity was listening in on him flirting with another woman.

A soft knock came from the conjoining door that hotels had to connect the rooms.

“It’s me,” Felicity’s nervous sounding voice came through the door.

Oliver stood up immediately and walked over to the door to unlock it. He opened it to see Felicity looking just as nervous as she sounded but with a timid smile on her face. He knew that the smile was to try and hide it.

“Hi.” He greeted, stepping back to let her in the room.

“Oliver didn’t tell me it wasn’t Detective Hall coming up, who are you?” Helena questioned, her voice curious and her intelligent eyes sharp in her study of the blonde.

It made Oliver want to rush Felicity out of the room and out of Helena’s sight.

“Oh.” Felicity said, surprised. She shot him a look before turning her attention back to Helena, “I’m Felicity. I work with Oliver at the SCPD.”

“Cop?”

“No.” Felicity shook her head. “I work in the IT and Tech division. I made the bracelet that you… uh, broke.” She trailed off awkwardly.

“Yes, the hazards of good champagne.” Helena said casually, leaning back in the arm chair taking another lazy sip straight from the bottle. Her eyes never left Felicity.

“Right. Well, um, where is the bracelet?” Felicity asked, fidgeting with the purse strap on her shoulder.

“I have it.” Oliver spoke up, pulling the damaged bracelet from his pocket. “I took it from her after she broke it, just in case. I know how you are about your tech.” He gave Felicity a small teasing smile.

Heat rose to her cheeks, coloring them a pretty pink shade. She turned to him, and despite her blush, her expression was stubborn.

“They’re my babies, of course I’m protective over them. Just like you are with your little motorcycle,” Felicity said, crossing her arms.

“Little?” He retorted, unable to stop a grin from spreading, “Says the girl who was terrified to ride on it.”

“Oh, hush.” Felicity huffed, holding her hand out for the bracelet. “Give it to me, Oliver.” Her eyes widened. “The bracelet, I mean. Nothing else. Just that.”

The inadvertent innuendo was so Felicity and so familiar, he felt himself relaxing. Until he noticed Helena watching them more intently, setting down her champagne bottle and growing more alert than her previous cool attitude. Clearing his throat, he passed Felicity the broken tech.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks,” She muttered distractedly as she turned it over in her hands.

He could practically see the gears already turning in her big, beautiful brain. Felicity moved past him towards the bed and dropped her purse on it before taking a seat herself. She pulled her legs underneath her, sitting on her knees with her brightly colored skirt flaring out around her. Felicity rearranged her skirt distractedly as she out a tool kit from her bag and got to work on opening the bracelet charms.

“You’re staring,” Helena murmured, almost directly in his ear.

Oliver startled. He’d been so caught up in Felicity he hadn’t even realized she had gotten up and stood next to him.

“No, I’m not.” Oliver shot back, but just as quietly to not distract Felicity. He knew that as long as they spoke in low tones, Felicity wouldn’t hear a word they said. She always got so intense on her work that she blocked everything else out. But he was also aware of everyone in the surveillance van listening to everywhere word they spoke.

Helena tilted her head at him. He was struck by how different the familiar gesture looked on her than it did on Felicity. With Felicity it was almost always a sarcastic, but kind, way to say ‘really?’ and on Helena it was calculated and intense, like she knew he was lying but trying to figure out why. It unsettled him. Her eyes landed on his watch, then his ear where the secondary comm was. Something flashed across her face, understanding maybe, and she nodded.

“Mhm.” Helena hummed softly. “My mistake.” She meandered back to the armchair, dropping gracefully into it and taking a sip of her champagne.

They all sat in silence as Felicity tinkered with the bracelet. She seemed oblivious to the other two in the room, both Oliver and Helena watching her. Oliver knew why he was staring at her, she was Felicity and he couldn’t not look at her—especially when she worked. He loved the look of concentration on her face, the slight wrinkle between her eyebrows as she intently studied what she was doing and her bright pink full bottom lip pulled between her teeth absently. It was captivating. She was captivating.

But Oliver didn’t want anyone else, especially Helena whose intentions he doubted with this whole operation, was noticing Felicity and the light she radiated. Maybe that was selfish, but he’d always been a selfish man, and the strength behind the way he felt towards Felicity made some of his other more intense desires and urges come to the surface. He’d never felt such an strong impulse to protect someone else to the point where it became almost a need. He knew that that wasn’t entirely fair to Felicity or her own ability to keep herself safe, because she had proven she could take care of herself. She didn’t need him to do it for her but he couldn’t help feeling the need too. Felicity was the strongest person he’d ever met but that was part of why he wanted to protect her.

She’d already been through so much already while still managing to keep her light and he wouldn’t risk anything, or anyone, dimming that. Felicity deserved happiness, she deserved safety and security in her life without having to worry about anything but living her life the way she wanted.

His mother and Malcolm Merlyn flashed through his mind.

He’d be damned if they’d ever hurt her again.

“Done.” Felicity called out, pulling him from his thoughts. She slid off the bed and dropped her feet to the floor to get up, the bracelet dangling from her finger. She glanced at him then at Helena. “It should be working just fine now, but please be careful with it. Do you have any questions on how it works or anything?”

“No,” Helena said, standing up and moving to take the bracelet from her. “Detective Hall already explained how it worked.” She plucked the bracelet from Felicity’s hand and turned to Oliver, one wrist held out. “Would you mind?”

Oliver glanced at Felicity, but she had already turned her back and was gathering the supplies on the bed. Silently, he clasped the bracelet around Helena’s wrist as quickly as he could.

“Thank you, Oliver.” Helena purred, reaching up to pat his chest. The gesture was flirtatious but the look in her eye was calculating.

He stepped back, away from her hand. “No problem.”

Helena glanced once more at Felicity, who was tense as she packed her bag with short, stilted movements. Helena smirked and sat back down in the arm chair, once more sipping her champagne and staring between him and Felicity with amusement. Oliver frowned. He stepped closer to Felicity, leaning in to whisper to her so Helena couldn’t hear.

“Hey, you okay?” He said quietly.

Felicity jumped as if he’d startled her and took an entire step back from him. Oliver’s frown deepened. She hadn’t had a reaction like that to him in a while. He thought she’d gotten comfortable around him.

“I’m fine, Oliver,” Felicity snapped, then regret crossed her face. She blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. I’ve just had this headache all night, and…” She pointed to his comm and then to his watch with an expectant expression. He turned them both off, not caring about the lecture he knew he’d receive from Mckenna. “I hate being in that stupid van. It’s so cramped with all of us, and Mckenna’s being super serious, Diggle’s quiet, and Billy won’t stop talking, especially to me. And I really don’t want to go back down there just so I can sit for another six hours listening to him and… and you in here with Helena.” She screwed her eyes shut tightly with a grimace, like she hadn’t meant to say the last part out loud.

“Billy? Is he bothering you?” Oliver demanded, stuck on the Billy part. Jesus, he thought the other detective was being flirty during the meeting, but now they were on the job. If Billy was making her feel uncomfortable in her work place then Oliver was going to have words, harsh ones, with the man. There was absolutely no way Oliver was going to let another person make her feel unsafe at work. And he was big enough to admit he didn’t like the other man’s attention on Felicity. He’d never really felt jealous before, no woman had mattered enough to him for it to be an issue, but like almost everything, it was different with Felicity.

“No, no.” Felicity quickly added, reading the anger crossing his face and shook her head. “I didn’t mean it like… like in a _you-know-who_ way. He’s a nice guy. I was just venting.”

“Felicity-,” He said heatedly, planning on saying something else but she caught onto the fury in his voice and matched it with her own.

“ _Oliver,_ ” She mimicked the same way he said her name with a glare. “I said it was fine. I don’t need you to try and protect me. I can handle Billy Malone all on my own, and I don’t need you stepping in.”

Extremely aware of the burn from Helena’s sharp eyes on their whispered conversation, Oliver fought to keep his voice low. “I’m not saying you can’t. But you don’t have to deal with this again. I just want to keep you safe and if he’s—,”

“Safe?” Felicity looked at him incredulously, “It’s Billy. He doesn’t mean any harm. I’m not ‘dealing with’ anything again.” Hurt flashed across her face before she shut it down and replaced it with anger. She shot a quick look at Helena before getting into his personal space and glaring up at him. Their height difference even more apparent without her wearing heels. “This is exactly why I don’t tell people about Kent Samuels. I’m not some victim, and I don’t need you treating me like I am. Just because a man flirts with me doesn’t mean I’m going to burst into tears or fall apart. I thought…” Her voice broke and she cleared her throat, “I thought that you were different, Oliver. That you didn’t see me as... damaged.”

Regret and guilt slammed into him with such force that he’d happily take another bullet than feel the way he did right then. Oliver had never meant to make her think he saw her as damaged. Damaged was the exact opposite of how he saw her.

“I didn’t—that’s not,” The words tumbled out of his mouth, his tongue tripping over itself in his haste to make sure she understood he didn’t mean what she thought but she just shook her head before he could make it clear.

“It’s fine.” Felicity muttered, looking down at her shoes. “I’m going back to the van.” With that, she grabbed her bag and disappeared through the conjoining door before he had the chance to explain himself.

“Fuck.” He scrubbed his palm roughly over his face, the stubble on his cheek scratching his palm.

“Lovers quarrel?” Helena drawled from where she sat.

Oliver just ignored her and switched back on his watch and comm.

“ _If you turn off your device or comm ever again without a damned good reason again, Queen, I’m going to straight to the Captain.”_ Mckenna threatened through the comm. The tinny sound from the comm did nothing to hide the irritation in her voice.

“Felicity is on her way down. She got Helena’s bracelet to work.” Oliver told her instead of responding to the threat.

Mckenna’s response was a clipped, “ _Alright_.”

Great.

Another person pissed at him.

 

**

 

Later that night, or rather early in the morning, Oliver left the hotel in a cab and headed straight to his apartment. Oliver just wanted to take a shower and forget about the past ten hours. Thankfully, Lance had given all of them on the op most of the day off so they could catch up on sleep and head into the precinct later in the evening.  He hadn’t heard a word from Felicity. He’d even texted her but never got a response back.

Oliver was an idiot.

No other word to describe himself.

Of course, she would think his protectiveness was coming from a place where he viewed her as victim and not because he was head over heels for her. Every single time she said something about them being just friends, he’d never corrected her or said anything to make her think differently. Oliver also knew how hard it was for her to open up about what she had gone through and the last thing he ever wanted was for her to believe he was throwing all of it—her trust in him and her vulnerability—right back in her face.

Everything he said was because his feelings for her ran deeper than just friendship.

And fuck, he couldn’t think of way to explain that he didn’t mean what she thought without confessing his feelings.

The cab pulled in front of his building. He paid the driver and went to his apartment, deep in thought. Body on autopilot, he walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower to heat up. Oliver started to strip, placing his phone facedown on the counter. He didn’t want to see the ‘no notifications’ written across the screen that proved Felicity’s ire with him. Oliver was in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt when his phone vibrated. Immediately he snatched it up with his heart racing.

It was John calling him.

With a slight hesitation, he silenced the phone and set it back down. John would be pissed he ignored the call but Oliver had a feeling he was only calling to lecture him, and he wasn’t in the mood. Sighing heavily, he stepped into the shower.

 

**

 

Felicity swept her hair up into a bun before opening her freezer and grabbing out the mint chip ice cream. She needed it after tonight.

Put simply, her night sucked.

After her terrible conversation, well borderline argument, with Oliver she’d gone back down to the van only to face a pissed off Mckenna because Oliver turned off his comm and watch and as the detective in charge she was worried about continuity and transparency when it came to proving things in court. Which, okay, Felicity totally understood that but she also didn’t want anyone else hearing their conversation. Even after she assured Mckenna it wasn’t anything of importance (Felicity also didn’t admit she was the one who asked him to turn it off), Mckenna was still a little too quiet to seem placated. Then there was John, who took one glance at Felicity and raised an eyebrow, giving her a look that basically said they’d be talking later. How that man’s eyebrow said so much, Felicity didn’t know. She’d managed to get through the rest of the night without letting him catch her alone so she didn’t have to talk about it.

Last but not least (well maybe he was the least if Felicity was being honest) there was Billy who _still_ kept talking to her no matter how many polite smiles and vague responses she gave. He seemed happy to just sit there at talk her ear off about the Starling Rockets, the strangest cases he’s worked and all of his hobbies.

But the only thing she could think of was everything Oliver had said, and what he hadn’t said yet made pretty clear. Because sure, maybe he hadn’t outright called her a victim or told her she was damaged but it sure as Hell felt like it. The last thing she ever wanted was to feel like he saw her as something broken or as someone who needed to be handled with kid gloves. And his behavior made it pretty clear. Felicity could read between the lines.

Where else would his overprotectiveness that would be endearing if it wasn’t so fracking frustrating come from? 

She shoveled a spoonful of mint chip into her mouth moodily. On anyone else, she would’ve called his actions jealously. But she was Felicity and he was Oliver.

_Oliver._

Her friend and her coworker.

Except those descriptors didn’t feel right. The closest that came to what she could describe him as was her partner.

A partnership that was platonic.

Felicity dug her spoon into the ice cream carton again at thought. As soon as the ice cream touched her lips, a knock sounded on her door. She hoped it wasn’t Sara because she would know something was wrong and try and get her to talk about and Felicity didn’t want to do that. She wanted to eat her ice cream and sulk a little so she could get over how she was feeling then go into work later and pretend she was fine. Felicity finished the bite before sticking the spoon back into the ice cream, leaving it on the kitchen counter. Another knock sounded, a little more urgent.

“Coming!” She hollered, rolling her eyes. Felicity made her way to the door, peaking through the peep hole. Startled, she pulled her eye away from it and ran her hands down the wrinkly t-shirt and leggings she’d changed into when she got home. “Frack.”

“I heard that.” Oliver called through the door, his voice muffled. “I really need to talk to you, and you aren’t answering your phone.”

Felicity sighed. Yeah, she was kind of ignoring him for a reason. She needed sort out her own feelings before she talked to him. She hesitated before unlocking the deadbolt and opening the door.

“Hi,” Oliver greeted, looking contrite and nervous. “Can I come in?”

Wordlessly, she opened the door wider and gestured for him to come inside.

“Thanks,” He said, stepping inside and hovering awkwardly in the entryway as she shut and locked the door again.

Felicity turned around, took one look at the expression on his face and decided she needed more ice cream. He wanted to talk about something heavy. She gave him a wide berth as she past him to go to the kitchen, Oliver trailing silently behind her. She hopped up onto the counter, resting her back against the cabinets. He leaned against the counter across from her. Finally, after two more fortifying bites of mint chip all while he stared at her intently, Felicity spoke.

“So, did you just come over to watch me eat ice cream?” His gaze was starting to make her want to squirm. Oliver was always intense, broody even, but right now, he was even more so than usual. He looked deep in thought, his brows furrowed and his blue eyes guarded. It was making her nervous. Usually, she could tell what he was thinking but she had no idea what was going on in his mind.

“No.” Oliver shook his head.

“Oh.” Felicity said awkwardly, scooping out more ice cream and shoveling it in her mouth before the babble she could feel building burst out.

“I… I shouldn’t… I didn’t mean,” He started a few times, then looked away from her. A muscle working underneath his cheek causing his jaw to clench. Oliver took a deep breath before meeting her eyes. She was even more puzzled by the behavior. She didn’t remember ever seeing him so tense. “Felicity, I’m sorry. What I said… it wasn’t meant in the way it came across.”

“What did you mean then, Oliver?” She asked, sticking the spoon inside the carton. “Because it felt like you were treating me like some helpless damsel. Like I was being handled with kid gloves because…,” Felicity tried to speak around the lump in her throat as she blinked a few times, “Because of what I told you about what happened.”

“Jesus, no.” Oliver said immediately, his voice firm. He started to move forward to cross the small space separating them, then his entire body stilled and she watched as he forcibly stopped himself and leaned back against the counter, not getting near her. 

“You just did it again!” Felicity flung out her hand, pointing angrily at him. “It feels like you’re being overly careful with me because of what you know. I can take a little bit of overprotectiveness, it’s part of your charm. But tonight… _This_ ,” She gestured between them, his tensed body language and distance from her, “Feels like something else and the only thing that I can think of to explain it is what happened to me.”

“No, Felicity, I swear it’s not like that.” He replied quickly, something pleading in his voice.

“Then what is it like?” She all but exploded, beyond frustrated with his lack of response. She needed an explanation.

Oliver didn’t speak, just stared at her helplessly.

“Just go, Oliver.” Felicity sighed, exhausted all of a sudden. “I get it. I’m… damaged. But I just… I thought that after everything you’d been through, you’d… I don’t know, understand, I guess. But it’s fine.”

“You’re not damaged.” He shook his head fervently. “Fuck, I do understand. I’m just… I’m saying everything I wanted to say all wrong.” Oliver said in frustration.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Felicity stared at the floor, unable to meet his gaze any longer. She could feel all of her old insecurities and self-doubt start to creep back in. Her eyes burned as those thoughts started to suffocate her. “I’m probably just being over sensitive.”

“Damn it.” Oliver cursed, anger in voice but it didn’t seem like it was directed towards her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his boots take the steps to close the distance between them. He gently grabbed her chin and directed her head up to look at him. Her eyes met his and what she saw in them made her heart beat faster in her chest. They were dark, filled with uncertainty and… desire.

Felicity sucked in a breath. There was no mistaking what she saw there.

“I’m not doing well tonight when it comes to explaining what I meant and why I acted that way.” Oliver murmured, his voice low and rough. His face so close to hers their noses almost touched. With her perched on the counter, she barely had to even tilt her head back to see him. When he spoke, she felt his warm breath move across her lips. “Can I show you instead?” His thumb moved from where it held her chin to stroke across her bottom lip gently.

Holy frack. Was he asking what she thought he was?

Her tongue licked across her bottom lip, wetting it and gracing the tip of his thumb. Oliver’s eyes darkened at the sight, his body practically vibrating from forcing himself to remain still and it was all the answer she needed.

“Yes.” Felicity breathed out with an almost imperceptible nod of her head.

With her confirmation, he closed the distance between them and his lips landed on hers.

 

 

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olicity is in the sappy honeymoon phase of their relationship. That's it. That's the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, this is literally basically fluff. Seriously, lots of fluff. I figured you wonderful readers deserved some happy tooth-rotting fluff before... well before the next few chapters ;)
> 
> Also I am *very* nervous to post this. I have never written smut (not that this is smut but it's definitely smut adjacent) and I really hope it came out okay and not bad or cringey hahah. I give *so much* credit to writers who can write such amazing, steamy smutty scenes because I didn't realize how difficult it was until I started to just *barely* write it. so many body parts and reactions and descriptors and whew. Sorry I'll stop ranting about it. But seriously, please be kind about it because I am very nervous hahaha. 
> 
> On another note, I'd like to give a shout out to the wonderful @Miriam1779 who's comment on the last chapter literally inspired one of the scenes in here!! I wasn't joking when I said I'd have to borrow that scene!! So all the credit to you, you amazing reader!! <33 :p
> 
> Thank you ALL so much for reading and commenting on this fic, just know I love and appreciate every single one :) you guys are the best!!
> 
> and without further ado~

 

 

Oliver was kissing her.

She couldn’t believe it.

Her mind literally blanked as she felt his soft lips press firmly against her own. His hands gently cupped her face and her eyes fluttered closed. It was innocent, chaste even, and yet she still felt her toes curl. Oliver pulled back from their kiss ever so slightly, still close enough that they were breathing in the same heavy air. Felicity opened her eyes into a half-lidded gaze to meet his own, it was full of lust and a bit of nervousness. He stared down at her, not moving any closer but also not moving away.

“Do you understand?” Oliver asked his voice quiet but gravelly, his thumb stroking across her cheek. With the little amount of space between them, his lips faintly brushed against hers with every word he spoke.

Felicity’s heart was beating a rapid staccato in her chest and her cheeks felt flushed, but despite it and her nerves, she grinned. “I think I need more explanation.”

With that she closed the distance between them. Her mouth slanted over his, hard and full of a passion he met with equal vigor. She lifted her hands from where they rested against the cool countertop up to Oliver’s chest, skimming the hard muscles underneath. Felicity could feel the raised patches of skin through his shirt from where some of his scars were, but her hands never stuttered or avoided them. She continued her journey upwards until her fingers slid into the soft, short hairs on the nape of his neck. Felicity used the grip on his hair to simultaneously pull him closer while scooting to the edge of the counter so she could wrap her legs around his waist.

Oliver followed eagerly, letting her move him and dropping one hand from her face to hold her hip. His hand was so large that his fingers nearly spanned up to her waist while his thumb, rough with callouses but still so very gentle, brushed against the bare skin of her midriff from where her t-shirt had ridden up. He didn’t go any higher or lower than the exposed skin, but just that little touch had warmth shooting down to her toes and a gasp escaping her lips. Oliver used that to his advantage, slipping his tongue into her mouth to deepen the kiss. His stubble scraped deliciously against the sensitive skin around her mouth and she was certain she’d have beard burn after. She couldn’t bring herself to care as the heady taste of Oliver filled her senses.

Not one to be outdone, Felicity scraped her nails against his scalp and wrapped her legs tighter around him, pushing his hips into hers. Oliver groaned, and Felicity grinned into the kiss. She could feel the hardness of him, covered by the rough material of his jeans against her thin sleep shorts. She sucked his bottom lip between hers, biting down softly.

Felicity only released it when she felt a rumble vibrate through his chest. Oliver’s hand on her face moved down, burning path across her jaw and down the side of her throat. He just barely brushed the side of her breast before his hand glided even further to her thigh until it found a home at the back of her knee. He used the hold to pin her leg against his hip, keeping her in place.

Oliver broke their lips apart, kissing along her jaw. He trailed wet, hot open-mouthed kisses down the column of neck, his stubble a rough contrast to the soft press of his lips. He stopped above her collarbone, where her neck and shoulder met, and nipped at the sensitive skin before soothing it over with his tongue.

“ _Oliver,_ ” Felicity gasped out, nearing a whimper as she arched into him. The angle was just right for her hips to cant up into his, her core grinding over the hard bulge in his pants to create a pleasurable friction that left them both panting.

And, _wow_.

Oliver was… well-endowed.

He groaned, burying his face into her shoulder as his hands tightened on her hip and knee. The feel of his warm breath sliding across her skin sent chills down her spine. Oliver stepped back slightly, separating their lower halves but he didn’t let go of her. Instead, he rested his forehead against her own.

“As much as I really, _really_ , want to continue this,” Oliver started, sounding pained, “I think we should probably slow down and talk.”

She knew he was right. They should talk, but she was finally kissing Oliver and she really didn’t want to stop. Her lips pouted.

“When you make that face, I just want to keep kissing you.” He said huskily, his eyes on her lips.

“Please do.”

Oliver chuckled, but dropped a chaste kiss on her lips. When she tried to deepen it, he pulled back.

“You’re killing me.” He muttered, closing his eyes.

“Alright, fine,” Felicity giggled, releasing her grip on his hair and sliding back a little. Her hands rested on his chest because she didn’t want to stop touching him. Oliver let go of her knee, so her leg could move but kept his other hand on her hip. Now that they were cooling down, she was hit with nerves. “Um, that meant what I thought it meant, right? Because I really like kissing you, but it wasn’t just a kiss for me.”

“It wasn’t just a kiss for me either.” Oliver reassured her, using his free hand to brush a strand of her hair that had fallen out of her bun behind her ear. “I care about you. As more than just friends or coworkers.”

“Me too.” Felicity’s heart leapt in her chest. She smiled shyly as a memory of what she’d always accidently babbled about them hit her, “And there’s nothing platonic about us. I don’t think there ever has been.”

“There’s hasn’t.” Oliver agreed, smiling back. “I think I’ve had feelings for you since the moment I saw you talking to yourself outside of the elevators on my first day.”

“That’s so embarrassing.” Felicity groaned. “I still can’t believe you heard me babble.”

“I think it’s cute. I like your babbles.”

She rolled her eyes, but her cheeks warmed at the sweet sincerity that showed on his face. Felicity actually believed he did like her babbles. It was impossible not too when he looked at her the way he was just then.

“So, we’re… something?” Felicity asked nervously, not sure what to call them. Boyfriend and girlfriend seemed too juvenile for her feelings for Oliver, but she wasn’t sure how else to label them.

Oliver looked like he was having the same problem for describing them. His brow furrowed in concentration before he beamed so widely the dimples in his cheeks showed.

“We’re partners.” Oliver said decisively, then pressed a kiss to her lips. It was sweet and full of promise. “Exclusive partners.” He added seriously.  

“Oh?” Felicity giggled, but she liked it. It fit them. “What about John? He’s our partner too.” She couldn’t help but tease.

“Okay, no.” Oliver shook his head emphatically, a grimace crossing his face. “I can honestly say I have never thought about Dig in the way I think about you.”

“Hey, no judgement here if you did.” Felicity said playfully, patting his chest.

His eyes narrowed at her before he smirked. She raised an eyebrow at him in question. Oliver leaned back in, pulling her tightly against him and kissing her until she was more than a little dazed. He broke the kiss when her chest was heaving, and her face was flushed with arousal. Oliver looked equally debauched, but he still had that stupidly attractive smirk on his face.

“Not that I’m complaining,” Felicity started, her voice breathless. “But what was that for?”

“I finally found a way to win in a battle of wits with you.” Oliver said smugly, his smirk growing. “All I need to do is kiss you senseless. Even if I’m losing the argument, I still win.”  

A happy bubble of laughter bloomed in her chest, and Felicity started to laugh. It was so nice to have this light-hearted, easy banter between them. There were no more hidden feelings, no second guessing herself, or lingering looks that she wasn’t sure if she read correctly. She liked it. Oliver stared at her in amusement, his eyes so full of adoration that it made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“You’re a dork.” Felicity told him affectionately, leaning up and chastely kissing him again, just because she could. “But if we’re actually arguing and you kiss me just to shut me up, I won’t be held responsible for my actions. That stuff only works in the mans favor in rom-com’s.”

“That’s fair,” Oliver chuckled, then a mischievous look lit up his eyes. Faster than she could blink, he moved his hands to her waist and started to tickle her. “I guess I could just do this instead.”

“Oliver!” She let out a peal of laughter, slapping his hands away. He let her do it and dropped his hands until they were palm down on either side of her and pressed into the counter. Felicity mock-glared at him. “You better not do that either.”

“Fine, fine.” Oliver sighed dramatically, shaking his head. “Guess I’ll just never win in an argument against you.”  

“Get used to it, partner.” Felicity told him, grinning up at him.

At the last word, his eyes softened, and Oliver let out a little sigh of happiness. He moved as close to her as the counter allowed, pressing their bodies together as much as was physically possible. They were chest to chest, and his hips were in the cradle of hers. It felt like he was giving her his strength and taking her own at the same time. Oliver tilted his face down until his forehead rested against hers. He stared into her eyes, and Felicity had never seen such peace in his. His eyes were usually darkened a stormy blue, but right now, they were clear and bright. Like the sky when the sun peeks out after a rainstorm.

“Partners.” Oliver repeated, so quietly it was nothing more than a content whisper.

 

 **

 

Hours later, Oliver laid on the couch with Felicity in his arms. They went to living room after breaking apart in kitchen, but neither one of them were eager to be alone or without each other. So, Felicity had suggested a movie and nap on the couch before work that night. Oliver had agreed immediately. She was still asleep, had been for awhile. At one point, he’d fallen asleep too, but the setting sun had shone through the windows in her apartment, hitting him squarely in the face and waking him up.

Oliver stared down at Felicity. He was on his back, Felicity nearly on top of him so they both fit on her couch. Her head rested on the center of his chest with her face turned towards the backrest of the sofa, so the light only reached the back of her head. The golden light from the sunset streamed through the blinds and gave her an ethereal glow. She truly looked like an angel. The light was filtered through her hair, bringing out all the shades of blonde as it diffused through the soft strands. He felt the warm air she exhaled through the thin material of his cotton t-shirt. Her slight weight resting on him, and the press of her soft curves, was soothing.

But in truth, Oliver wasn’t all that comfortable. Her couch was too short for his legs, and his feet hungover the end. His shoulder was jammed against the back of couch, and his neck had a twinge in it from the awkward angle of where he rested his head against the armrest.

And Oliver found that he didn’t care about any of it because Felicity was in his arms.

Honestly, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d held a woman in his arms like this. He’d never been into cuddling, not even really after sex. But right now, it wasn’t even sexual. Everything about their positions was innocent. They were both fully clothed, and his hands weren’t anywhere that could be considered suggestive. Both hands rested on her back, one between her shoulder blades and another right below her waist. Felicity was so much smaller than him that his large hands nearly spanned her entire back.

If he stretched out the hand on her lower back, his pinky could touch the waist band of her leggings. Or, even more tempting, the soft strip of bare skin right above her waistband where her t-shirt had ridden up.

Oliver didn’t do that though.

As enticing as it was, she was asleep and he didn’t know what her boundaries were. He also knew that sometimes being touched unexpectedly when while sleeping could trigger bad reactions. He’d suffered from enough nightmares to know. Overseas, it got so bad that in order to wake him up, the other members of his unit had relied on throwing balled up socks at him to get him awake so they didn’t risk being hurt or choked out. Diggle had been on the receiving end of it once, and it’d taken two guys to pull a half-awake and on edge Oliver off of him before he knocked Dig unconscious. After that, no one tried to wake him unless they were a safe distance away.

It was part of the reason he was awake now. Earlier, he’d been able to sleep through pure exhaustion and the feeling of comfort he received from holding Felicity, but ever since he’d woken up, he wasn’t sure if he could go back to sleep. Oliver was terrified of accidently hurting her if he had a bad dream. At the thought, he held her a little tighter against him.

Felicity shifted against him, nuzzling her face against his chest. Her hand fisted in his shirt where it rested on his ribs. Oliver loosened his hold, not wanting to wake her up. She squirmed again. The leg that had been pressed between his moving up until her knee was nearly pressed into his groin. Oliver took a deep breath, counting back from a hundred in his head and when that didn’t work, he recited baseball stats. A few moments of delicious torture later, where he was simultaneously cursing and thanking God for letting him be in this position, Felicity let out a cute little yawn and lifted her head.

She blinked at him blearily, squinting a little without her glasses. Oliver knew the moment she realized they were still cuddled together because her cheeks flushed, and she gave him a shy smile. It was adorably endearing. He grinned back at her.

“Hi,” Felicity said softly, glancing around at the quickly fading light, “What time is it?”

“Hi,” Oliver lifted the wrist that held his watch, looking at the time. “Almost 5:30.” He placed his hand right back to where it was before on her lower back.

“We have to leave soon.” She pouted a little.

“Yeah,” He agreed, his eyes drawn to her lips. Oliver wanted nothing more than to kiss her. Then hit him. He could actually do that now.

In a flash, he grabbed her waist and hauled her up his body even more so he could kiss her. Felicity let out a squeak of surprise that was muffled by his mouth on hers, but she followed willingly, tossing her leg over his waist until she was basically straddling him. Felicity responded to his kiss eagerly, her tongue sliding into his mouth and dancing with his. His hand slid down her back and gripped her shapely behind, something he’d fantasized about since he first saw her in those tight-fitting skirts. Oliver kneaded the supple flesh in his hand with a noise of appreciation, and he could feel her smirk against his lips.

Felicity rolled her hips, grinding down onto him and his rapidly hardening length. Whatever progress he’d made with reciting baseball stats earlier was out of the window. Oliver broke the kiss, tossing his head back and panting harshly. Felicity grinned down at him, her lips wet and little swollen, looking smug. Around her mouth was slightly red, beard burn most likely, and Oliver delighted in the proof of their kisses. She dipped her head and trailed hot kisses down his neck, running her hands down his chest, then back up again in exploration. When her fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt, he caught her wrists firmly but gently with both hands, stilling her movements.

“Felicity,” Oliver warned her, his voice rough, “We don’t have enough time to finish what you’re trying to start.”

She pulled back, her pupils blown wide with arousal. He watched as she shivered, at either his words or his tone he didn’t know, but it was Oliver’s turn to feel smug as he saw the effect he had on her.

“Oh,” Felicity said breathlessly, the blush on her cheeks travelling down her neck and disappearing under the collar of her shirt.

Oliver wanted to know where the pink skin stopped. He shook his head, trying to get rid the thought. He needed her off of him so he could think clearly. Oliver sat up carefully, lifting her off his lap and placing her on the cushion next to him. He readjusted his pants—they were starting to feel uncomfortably tight. Felicity glanced at him from the corner of her eye, before looking away quickly. She seemed nervous all of a sudden, and he frowned.

Did he go too far, too fast, by saying that? Or by what they just did?

He wasn’t trying to make her uncomfortable or feel pressured into anything.

“Hey, what’s wrong? I was just kidding,” Oliver assured her, “I didn’t mean anything by it. We can go as slow as you want. This,” He gestured between them, “Is all on your terms, Felicity.”

“Oliver,” Felicity rolled her eyes while she said it, but it sounded affectionate. “That’s very sweet of you, but I wasn’t upset by what you said. Or did. I just…” She trailed off, the nervous look returning, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings or anything but, I just started to think about how we have to go to work and deal with the real world and the case and Helena and then there’s the List and Quentin-,”

“Felicity,” Oliver cut in, grabbing her hand and smiling at her. “Take a breath.”

She complied, breathing in deeply before releasing it. But she still held his hand.

“I don’t want to tell anyone about us yet.” Felicity blurted, a guilty look crossing her face. “It’s not you-,”

He couldn’t help it, he let out a laugh. Oliver didn’t know if he’s ever been on the receiving end of a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ before. She looked puzzled at his reaction.

“I understand why you don’t want to tell anyone. I was thinking the same thing.” Oliver explained, still chuckling a little. “We have so much on our plates already, and we don’t need anyone else’s opinions. It’s a good idea to keep us to ourselves for a little while. If my mom finds out we’re together it could paint a target on your back again or make them suspicious.” His voice got more serious as he went on.  

Felicity nodded in agreement. “That’s what I was thinking too.”

“And I can’t exactly be dating you and Helena publicly at the same time, either.”

“Ugh,” She groaned, glaring at him but it was playful, “Does this make me the other woman?”

“No,” Oliver said vehemently, “First off, you’re the only woman for me. And everything with Helena is fake.”

She beamed at him, a sparkle in her eyes, “Only woman, huh?”

“Yes.” He confirmed, not taking it back. “I meant what I said, Felicity. I don’t want anyone else. I know… I know I have past, and I’ve cheated before but that was different. I was different. Those relationships—,”

“Hey,” Felicity interrupted, grabbing his face and gently turning him to look at her fully, “I know. I’m not worried about any of that. I was just teasing. I know exactly who you are, Oliver. And I really, _really_ like that person.”

Oliver kissed her again. He couldn’t help it.

 

**

 

In the end, they were late for work. Felicity had to rush to get ready, and Oliver had to go back to his apartment to change into a work suit. But she figured that might be a good thing, because it staggered the times they both arrived and they were in different vehicles. It would be just her luck for someone to find out they were together not even two hours after they decided to keep their relationship private.

_Relationship._

Felicity couldn’t help but feel giddy at the thought. She was in a relationship with Oliver. She didn’t even try to stop the happy smile from spreading across her face as she exited the elevator onto her floor at the SCPD.

“Why are you grinning?”

She turned to see Lance standing with Diggle at Oliver’s empty desk in the bull pen. His arms were folded across his chest and his face was suspicious as was Diggle.

“You hate being on the night shift,” Lance continued, eyeing her in a mistrustful manner.

“Oh,” Felicity said, stepping closer to them and scrambling for something to say, “One of my favorite shows got renewed. I just read the article on the way over. You know, the one I told you about?” She’d done no such thing, but Felicity was betting on him not realizing it. She knew he tuned her out when she rambled about her ‘nerdy’ interests and she was counting on the Guilty Dad Traits in him to pretend he knew what she was talking about.

“Right, of course, sweetheart.” He said immediately, blinking rapidly. “It’s, uh… The one that’s real tech-y and… in space?” Lance trailed off, his voice was pitched a little higher in a questioning way.

“You got it.” Felicity said, pressing her lips together in an effort not to laugh.

Quentin seemed relieved. But John was looking at her, seemingly unconvinced. Felicity made it a point not to look at him. He was annoyingly perceptive and if she made eye contact with him, she had a feeling he’d immediately know everything about her and Oliver without her needing to say a word.

“Where’s Oliver?” John asked, glancing between her and the elevator.

“I was wondering that too.” Lance added, frowning.

“I don’t know,” Felicity shrugged, fiddling with her purse strap. “Why would I know?”

She was spared any response from the two men when the elevator doors dinged, and Oliver stepped out. He wore a ridiculously sappy smile, and Felicity tried not to facepalm.

Like c’mon Oliver.

He literally never smiled at work, instead sporting a broody expression, and he chooses _now_ of all times to look like Hanukkah came early?

Talk about bad timing.

John definitely noticed Oliver’s expression, as did Quentin. Oliver spotted the three of them and made his way over. She made eye contact with him, and Felicity couldn’t describe the look he gave her as anything other than heart eyes. She looked away quickly, trying not to draw any more attention to themselves.

“Detective Hall and Detective Malone are waiting in the conference room,” Quentin informed them, nodding his head towards the room in question. “We need to debrief about last night and talk about our next steps.”

“Okay. I’m going to go put my stuff away then I’ll be there.” Felicity said easily, already moving to her office.

“Alright, sweetheart.” Lance smiled at her, then looked at the other two. “You two follow me.”

When she made it into the conference room not much later, the first thing she saw was John whispering into Oliver’s ear at the end of the table. Oliver kept shaking his head, before giving a John a look that made it clear he wanted the other man to stop talking. Felicity raised an eyebrow as she sat down next to them. But Oliver just shook his head. He sat on her right and John in the chair next to him. Quentin sat at the head of the table to her left, and Mckenna and Billy were across from her. Felicity gave them both a quick smile in greeting.

“If you two school girls are done gossiping, then we can start,” Lance berated Diggle and Oliver, sounding halfway between amusement and annoyance.

“Sorry, Captain.” They chorused together.

Felicity laughed. For two grown men, they both just sounded like chastised little school boys. John glared playfully at her, but Oliver didn’t seem to react. Instead he looked straight ahead at Mckenna as she started to go over last night. And that’s when Felicity felt his hand land on the middle of her thigh under the table. She jumped, surprised that’d he be so bold in front of everyone. Except no one seemed to notice. Felicity peeked at Oliver out of the corner of her eye. He was focused on Mckenna, but there was a small smirk playing on his lips.

Lips that had been on hers.

Felicity felt herself blush, and she tried to ignore the memory of what those lips felt like on her own.

But she definitely couldn’t ignore his hand on her leg, not that she was complaining. His hand was large and warm. She could feel some of his calluses against the soft bare skin of her thigh that her skirt didn’t cover when she sat down. His thumb started to move in little circles, brushing the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. Felicity bit her bottom lip to silence the noise that tried to escape her throat. His motions never went higher than where it was already placed, but it was driving her crazy with want regardless.

Each pass of his rough, warm thumb against her skin sent tingles of electricity straight to her center until the warmth pooled between her legs. Felicity stole a look down, and her breath caught in her throat. The sight of his hand, half hidden by the material of her skirt, large and tanned against the pale expanse of her thigh as he stroked the sensitive skin, his thumb disappearing under her skirt then reappearing, was borderline obscene.   

Felicity shifted in her seat, her legs pressing together and trapping his hand between them momentarily. Oliver’s movements stopped before he flexed his fingers, squeezing her thigh firmly. Felicity glanced at him through her peripheral. His blue eyes were dark, and there was a muscle twitching in his cheek from how tightly he was clenching his jaw. She felt a surge of self-satisfaction go through her at the sight.

He was just as affected she was by the touch.

“But it got fixed, thanks to Felicity.” Mckenna said, smiling and looking at her expectantly.

“Wh-what?” Felicity squeaked, then cleared her throat. She pointedly ignored Oliver’s smug smirk. “I mean, sorry, I spaced out there for a second. What did you say?”

“Mckenna was telling Captain Lance about how you fixed Helena’s bracelet.” Billy chipped in, grinning at her.

Felicity felt Oliver’s hand tighten possessively on her thigh. It simultaneously turned her on and made her want to roll her eyes.

“Right. Yeah, it’s good as new now. The signal is still broadcasting, and we can still use it as planned,” Felicity told them all, proud of how steady her voice sounded despite the fact that Oliver had started back up with those maddening little patterns on her sensitive skin.  

“Good.” Lance said, then looked at Oliver. “Does Helena still seem interested in taking down her father? Any red flags there?”

“She seems like she wants revenge against him.” Oliver said, but his hand stopped its movements, and he was frowning. “But I don’t trust her. I think she has her own motives.”

Oliver lifted his hand from her leg and placed it back on his own lap. She was a little disappointed but also knew it was probably best to stop before someone noticed.

Like Lance—who was armed.

The thought of Lance catching them made her cringe.

“And you shouldn’t. None of you should be trusting anyone with the last name Bertinelli.” Quentin warned.

Mckenna looked ready to protest. “Sir, Helena wants her father held responsible for his crimes. We can trust that.”

Lance made noncommittal grunt, but his lips were pursed. “What’s next?”

Mckenna spoke up again, filling them all in on the next phase. She’d apparently talked to Helena earlier and they decided she and Oliver would go out again tonight in public. Some Italian restaurant that the Bertinelli’s practically owned through intimidation. They would spend the next week trying to make their whirlwind romance seem as real possible by going out and then Helena would suggest to her father that he needed to meet her new boyfriend.  

From there, Oliver would try to build trust and get Frank Bertinelli to include him in some of the family’s criminal operations. The plan was for Oliver to catch all of it on tape and get something iron-clad enough to lock up Frank Bertinelli and shut down his illegal business for good. Felicity thought that it was an idealistic way of planning. She didn’t think any of it would go as smoothly as Mckenna seemed to be hoping, but Felicity also had become a pessimist. So maybe Mckenna was right, and it would all work out easily.

By the time Lance called an ending to the briefing, Felicity’s stomach was growling. She hadn’t eaten since the mint chip ice cream in her kitchen hours ago. She’d been too distracted by kissing Oliver and then rushing around to get ready for work to eat before leaving. Felicity was pretty certain she had some granola bars next to her little coffee station in her office, but they didn’t sound appealing.

She was jealous of Oliver. Because at least he’d be getting Italian food.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Oliver asked her, standing up from his chair and then, being the gentlemen he was, he pulled out her chair for her.

Felicity couldn’t decide if it was sweet or if she wanted to roll her eyes. Oliver was so obvious, they were going to get caught before the day was over. First with the hand on her thigh (not that she was complaining) and then him pulling out her chair and being all smiley. She vaguely noticed Mckenna, Diggle and Lance filtering out of the room.

“Just hungry,” Felicity told him, getting up and pushing the chair in herself. “I’m trying to decide if I want to order something to eat before I’m stuck in a van while you get Italian on your date.”

“It’s not a date,” Oliver said immediately, a guilty look on his face.

Felicity instantly felt bad. She didn’t mean to make him feel guilty. She knew all of this was because of their jobs.

“I know, Oliver,” Felicity reassured him, smiling apologetically, “I didn’t mean it like that.”

He looked relieved, his mouth opening to say something but Billy cut in.

“Hey, Felicity,” He stepped up to them with a friendly smile, “I thought I heard you mention something about being hungry?”

“Oh, uh,” She stuttered, trying to think of something to say. She felt like his question was a trap of some kind. But then her stomach betrayed her by letting out a loud rumble. Billy chuckled and Felicity grimaced. “Yeah, I am.”

“I was going to head over and grab Big Belly for everyone in the van tonight, if you wanted some?” Billy offered, his hands in his pockets and that same friendly smile on his face.

“Um, yeah,” Felicity agreed, nodding, “That’d be great actually.”

“Okay, then that’s what I’ll do.” He said decisively, pulling out his keys. He tossed them up in the air and then caught them, “I could use someone to help carry all food if you want to ride with?”

Felicity felt Oliver tense next to her, and she didn’t need to see his face to know he looked pissed. But she was big girl, and she could handle Billy. She didn’t need Oliver to step in.

“Sorry, but I can’t.” Felicity said, firm but polite. “I need to go over our computer software in the van before we use them and check over our other tech to make sure it’s working properly for later.”

“Oh,” He seemed disappointed, but didn’t push. “Okay. Send me a text with what you want then.”

“Can do.” She smiled at him and gave an awkward wave.

Billy gave a quick nod to her then to Oliver in goodbye then left, leaving just the two of them in the conference room.

“If he doesn’t lay off, I’m going to say something.” Oliver said, sounding aggravated. “I mean seriously, was he trying to look cool by catching his keys?”

“Don’t start, Oliver.” Felicity rolled her eyes, but she was vaguely amused.

“Start what?” He said hotly, crossing his arms. “You’re obviously not interested, and he won’t get the hint. I’m sick of it.”

Felicity laughed. She stepped closer, invading his personal space and smiling up at him. She patted his forearms, which were tensed, the muscles bulging (in a very a distracting and attractive way) over his chest.

“While I think it’s very sweet you want to defend my honor or something,” She said in amusement, “Like I already told you Billy is harmless, and I can handle him myself.”

Oliver huffed. “Well, I don’t like him.”

She couldn’t help it, she laughed again. “That’s just because your jealous.”

“I—,” He started then cut himself off. Realization crossed his face. “Okay, maybe I am jealous.”

“I know. It’s kind of cute.” Felicity grinned at him, then rushed to add, “But only in small doses. Don’t go overboard.”

“I’m sorry, Felicity,” Oliver said, a frown on his face. His arms dropped to his sides. “I don’t mean to be. Or be overbearing. It’s just… I’ve never felt the way I do about you with anyone else. I honestly don’t even think I’ve ever really been jealous before in a relationship.”

Her heart swelled in fondness for him. She wasn’t upset in the slightest at him, and how could she be when he said wonderful sweet things like that?

“You don’t have to apologize.” Felicity said quickly, “You didn’t do anything wrong. And you’re not being overbearing. It’s not like you actually said anything to him, you let me handle it. I don’t mind a little jealously, I can be the same way too. Just don’t pee all over me, you know?”

Oliver’s eyebrows shot up his forehead at her gaffe, and he grinned at her. Her face burned.

“Oh my god,” Felicity groaned. “That’s… Frack. My mouth hates me. I meant that in like a ‘don’t get territorial about me’ kind of thing. Like cats and dogs do. I’m not fire hydrant, Oliver.” She closed her eyes. “I’m just making this worse.”

A moment later, she felt one of his hands come up and cup her cheek gently. His thumb stroked across her flaming skin soothingly.

“I know what you meant, Felicity,” Oliver reassured her, his voice soft in that way he only seemed to use for her.

Felicity opened her eyes, staring up at him in unreserved affection.

“You really do, don’t you?” She asked, a little in awe. This kind, amazing man really did understand her—jumbled words and all.

He nodded, a soft smile on his lips. His thumb passed over her cheek again and his smile morphed into a mischievous smirk.

“You sure you’re not a fire hydrant? This blush says otherwise.” Oliver teased.

Felicity pulled away from him with a roll of her eyes, but it was playful. “Not funny.”

Oliver just laughed. He glanced at the shut door and closed blinds on the windows of the conference room. Once he made sure no one could see them, he leaned down (to her amusement he had to bend his knees slightly and tilt his head down just to reach her) and kissed her. Oliver pulled away before it could get too intense for the workplace.

“I’ve been wanting to do that again since I got off the elevator and saw you.” Oliver said, his voice low and throaty as he straightened back up to his full height.

“Oh?” Felicity teased, moving closer and running her hands down his chest. She felt his stomach muscles twitch under his shirt as she passed over his abs. Oliver inhaled through his nose sharply. With a smirk, she dropped her hands. “Is that why you were feeling me up under the table?”

Oliver grinned wickedly. He shrugged, entirely unapologetic. “I couldn’t help myself.”

Felicity rarely saw the charming billionaire playboy that used to be so infamous in him, but right now it was on full display. She totally understood why women fell at his feet.

Because whew.

He was looking at her like he wanted to devour her whole. And having someone who looked like Oliver Queen did, all broad shoulders, scruff covered chiseled jaws and dirty grins, was just… _wow._

“Feel free to feel me up whenever you want. No complaints here.” Felicity said with enthusiasm, maybe a little too much because Oliver chuckled. His roguish smile was replaced with something softer, more affectionate.

“As much as I want too,” Oliver said with a playful wink, “We should probably get out there and get to work before someone comes looking for us.”

Felicity let out a put upon sigh. “Fine.”

 

 


End file.
